Juni Calafat Recommends a Surprising Signing to Real Madrid Instead of Zubimendi

The executives led by Florentino Pérez have several signings pending regardless of how the current season ends. The summer 2025 market is the ideal time to expand the resources available to Carlo Ancelotti according to the 'even more difficult' challenge of the Madridist transalpine coach. Especially in the midfield and in all positions of a defense hit by injuries to its best footballers.

The defensive signings seem to have advanced considerably thanks to the approaches to Trent Alexander-Arnold, thus ending the debate over Dani Carvajal's succession at right-back. The expansion of the center-back roster would be the responsibility of footballers like Raúl Asencio, whose renewal is already being worked on tirelessly in the Valdebebas offices. The addition of footballers like Joan Martínez or Jacobo Ramón, promising center-backs from La Fábrica, would not prevent the review of transfers like the one involving the Spanish defender Dean Huijsen.

With the action plan more or less established for the defense, the signings in the midfieldrequire all the attention of the Merengue leaders. Especially because the effective replacement for Toni Kroos has not been achieved this season. The retirement of the former German '8' led Carlo Ancelotti to try different competitive solutions, but none have had lasting effects.

Only the inclusion of Dani Ceballos in the Merengue scheme seemed to alleviate the absence of an organizing pivot, but with the '19' seriously injured, doubts return. The main signing for that position in the midfield would be Martín Zubimendi: the 25-year-old Spanish footballer fits the requirements of the strict white signing policy.

Very Exciting Prospects

The information published in England, however, presents competition to the '4' of Real Sociedad. So far, the txuri-urdin midfielder has emerged as the number one option for the Merengue sports management, but Daily Mail would have added another name to the list of potential signings: Adam Wharton. The young English stopper, 21 years old, is one of the key footballers of a Crystal Palace that has surprised more than once so far this season.

He has only been with the Glazier discipline for a year, where he arrived for 20 million euros in January 2024, but he is already making a sensation in the British Isles. Juni Calafat, according to Daily Mail, would have started following Adam Wharton right after Dani Ceballos's injury: the Andalusian midfielder will be out for two long months.

"His decision-making, the way he positions himself, and the solutions he provides with 1-2 touches are amazing", describes his current coach. These words from Olivier Glasner would correspond with the virtues that Juni Calafat has seen in a potential player to take the vacant position in the Merengue midfield. Known as the 'Wilpshire Pirlo', this Crystal Palace player is taking his first steps in the European football elite.

In that sense, Glasner asks for "patience" despite already attracting the attention of England's coach, Thomas Tuchel. Not surprisingly, the former PSG and Bayern Munich coach was present at the last match of the Crystal Palace player... an instance where he could well have coincided with the scouts sent by Juni Calafat to follow Adam Wharton himself.