Real Madrid have signed four players this summer but still haven't solved their midfield problem. The Kroos-Modric void remains two years later.
Real Madrid made a strong start to the summer transfer window, but the club still has one major issue it has been unable to solve for the past two years.
President Florentino Perez moved quickly to improve the squad ahead of next season, signing left-back Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), right-back Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), center-back Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool) and midfielder Bernardo Silva (Manchester City).
But that said, the club is still dealing with several problems that have persisted for nearly two years.
Chief among them is finding a midfielder capable of dictating the game, controlling the tempo and performing at the level previously set by Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Over the past two seasons, several players have attempted to take on that role, including Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde, but it has become clear that neither truly fits that mold.
As he demonstrated during his first season with Real Madrid and is once again showing with England at the World Cup, Bellingham is an attack-minded player who loves creating chances for his teammates and scoring goals himself.
But considering the attacking talent currently available at Real Madri, including Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., Brahim Diaz or Rodrygo, there is not much room for Bellingham to fully maximize his offensive qualities.
New manager Jose Mourinho must clearly define the roles of players such as Vinicius, who is reportedly close to signing a contract extension with the club, Mbappe, who is obviously not considering a move elsewhere, and Endrick, who returns from a successful loan spell at Lyon in Ligue 1 and, according to reports, is part of the Portuguese's plans.
Only then will it become clear what role Bellingham is expected to play.
But anyway, the issue of finding a player capable of performing the role that Vitinha fills at PSG, Pedri at Barcelona, or Nicolo Barella at Inter Milan, to name a few, is still unresolved.
The summer transfer window has only just begun, and there are still several weeks left for Real Madrid to search for a solution.
It will be interesting to see which direction the club takes because the recent rumors and reports do not suggest that Real Madrid are actively trying to solve this particular problem.
Instead, they have mostly been linked with players such as Michael Olise, whose profile is much more attack-oriented.
If Mourinho were to use Olise in the same role Didier Deschamps uses him for France, it would once again limit Bellingham’s attacking qualities, forcing the England international into a midfield role that does not maximize his strengths as an attacking player.
In any case, time will tell.
