Solving the case of Florentino Perez’s €150m mystery signing for Real Madrid | OneFootball

You’ve heard of the Masked Singer. Well now get ready for the Masked Footballer as Real Madrid presidential candidate Florentino Perez has teased an enormous signing for the Spanish giants.

We are nearing the business end of the Madrid elections in which the 79-year-old Perez is seeking to be reinstalled as president. With the day of reckoning on Sunday, we are into the stage of politics where the candidates go big on promises, hoping to sway voters in their favour.

Challenger Enrique Riquelme threw the first punch, claiming Madrid had signed Erling Haaland which was news to the player and his current – very litigious – employers. Now Perez has gone for the same approach but the emperor of football has kept us all guessing.

Rather than come out and say it, Perez has left a trail for us all to solve so get your detective hats on – there’s a case to crack.

What we know

Let’s start with what we do know, Watson. Perez appeared on Spanish TV on Thursday night and set out why he was the man to take Real Madrid forward.

During the show, which was preceded by a 70-minute expose on alleged scandals faced by Spain’s president Pedro Sanchez, Perez made the announcement that he would make an offer for a top-level player.

His words were: “On Tuesday, I’ll make an offer to a big Champions League club for a player which would be the biggest transfer in all Real Madrid’s history, at least €150m.”

He also said “first, we have to talk to the club”, seemingly forgetting what ‘first’ means and maybe it is best to get a deal done before you announce it to the world.

Perez was pressed on the finer details and said it was not a Premier League player, nor was it Harry Kane or Michael Olise.

He also said it would be the most expensive signing in Madrid history, and so it has to be at least more than the €123m paid for Jude Bellingham.

So here’s our suspect profile

With that criteria in mind, let’s have a look at some of the candidates.

The candidates for Real Madrid’s mystery signing

Vitinha

As soon as the words left Perez’s mouth, speculation began over who the player could be and one name brought up more than most was Vitinha.

The former Wolves player is one of, if not the, best midfielders in the world and Madrid’s midfield could do with a refresh. Signing him would allow Bellingham to move further forward and also free up Fede Valverde from being the sole defensive-minded player in there.

But are PSG ever likely to agree to a sale?

If the player wants to go then maybe he can force through a move but PSG would know that selling him is selling the engine of the Ferrari.

To even get round the table, it would take an opening offer near to Perez’s €150m mark and even his own supporters would question whether Vitinha, regardless of how good he is, fits in the ‘Galactico’ group with Zidane, Figo, Beckham, Kaka and Ronaldo.

F365 believability rating: 6/10

Lamine Yamal

Ruling out Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, who is the biggest star in world football right now? Yamal.

The 18-year-old ticks every box of Perez’s criteria but it is hard to imagine any kind of scenario where Barcelona would possibly accept such a deal. The 18-year-old has a contract until 2031 and so if Madrid did want him, they would have to pay his buyout clause.

Barcelona, though, have learnt from Neymar and set Yamal’s clause at €1billion – an eighth of Madrid’s entire worth.

It would be like the Figo transfer on steroids if it was true.

F365 believability rating: -100/10

Pedri

Another Barcelona name to rule out is Pedri.

The 23-year-old is one of the best midfielders on the planet and given Madrid had no representatives in the Spanish World Cup squad, signing one of the country’s best players would be an excellent PR boost. But it’s just not going to happen.

Pedri also has a €1billion buyout clause and was even turned down after a Real Madrid trial in his youth career.

F365 believability rating: -100/10

Julian Alvarez

Staying in La Liga, could Julian Alvarez be the mystery player?

The Atletico Madrid player is strongly linked with a move this summer and that destination appeared to be Barcelona but that connection has gone cold in recent days.

That could be because Atletico threw an almighty strop on X but could it also be that Madrid has come calling?

There are a few details that could rule Alvarez out. For a start, every report suggests his heart is set on Barcelona and even the offer of Premier League money has not been enough to sway him.

Secondly, would Perez describe Madrid’s closest rivals as a “top Champions League club”, especially as they have never won it? That seems like the kind of justification Perez would loathe to give what he sees as their far smaller rivals.

F365 believability rating: 5/10

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Ousmane Dembele

If Barcelona players look out of the question, PSG seems the most likely next destination.

And of the European champions, which player most fits the bill? The answer to that may well be Ousmane Dembele.

Perez said it would be a “total Galactico”, a player like Figo, Zidane, Beckham, Kaka, and Cristiano Ronaldo, and what do four of those five have in common? They are Ballon d’Or winners.

Those are a rare breed. There are only six winners still active and if Lionel Messi, Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema can be ruled out for obvious reasons, that leaves Dembele and Rodri.

Perez said the signing is not from a Premier League club so you can cross Rodri out too and so perhaps Dembele is the mystery man?

It is a signing that ticks a lot of Perez’s boxes. He would likely cost north of €150m but his contract expiring in 2028 may mean it is not much more than that. He plays for a top Champions League club and is a World Cup winner as well.

Of course, signing him and then working out where to put him in a forward line that already features Vinicius Jr and Mbappe is another question, but when has Perez ever cared about that part?

It is not an entirely unlikely suggestion.

F365 believability rating: 9/10

Jamal Musiala

This is one that is definitely believable.

If it’s not Kane and it’s not Olise, the next potential Bayern candidate is Musiala.

After returning from a broken fibula, Musiala has picked up where he left off and was a central figure in Bayern’s second half of their season.

He will likely be a starring presence for Germany this summer too and an exciting talent like that is exactly what Perez would dangle his presidency bid on.

But would Bayern ever sell? He has a contract until 2030 so the fee would be astronomical and Musiala has not indicated he wants a move elsewhere.

Perez would love it but it would take a huge figure to pull this off.

F365 believability rating: 7/10

Joao Neves

Another option arising from PSG’s midfield is Joao Neves.

The 21-year-old is a key part of the PSG all-conquering outfit and any top club in the world would pay good money to have him.

Given his age and ability, even €150m may not be enough for PSG to part with him but Perez is an ambitious man and so would believe he could bring any club to Madrid if he wanted to.

As for the player, he may see two Champions League titles as mission complete with PSG but why leave when the going is good?

F365 believability rating: 8/10

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Given Perez is making such bombastic claims, the mystery man is most likely an attacker and so that’s why Kvaratskhelia is an interesting suspect.

It fits a lot of what Perez has been hinting at. Even though he was quiet in the Champions League final, many believe Kvaratskhelia is the best attacker on the planet right now and Perez has also not been backwards in stating Vinicius Jr may move on.

His potential departure would open up a spot on that left wing where Kvaratskhelia would fit nicely but of all of PSG’s assets, the Georgian would be the most expensive given how good he is.

Madrid fans would love it and we are sure Perez would do too but with a contract until 2029, the ball is in PSG’s court.

F365 believability rating: 6/10

F365’s verdict

There are your suspects then, and to make any kind of conclusion, you have to get inside the mind of the man you are trying to solve.

Perez doesn’t really do sensible signings – he put up a billboard full of his Galacticos for God’s sake – and so are midfielders like Vitinha and Joao Neves really who he means?

Musiala is a more likely option but you get the sense that it has to be an attacker and so Kvaratskhelia and Dembele move to the forefront. Of those two, Dembele seems the more sensible but even then, it will be a tough task to pull off.

Personally, we are hoping it’s Yamal just for the absolute cinema that would be the first Clasico. Watch out for pig heads.

And obviously it’s since been reported that Perez was just lying and it is actually Olise who Real want. Cheers for that, fella.