Real Madrid register club-record spend: Hazard, Jovic, Mendy...
The arrivals of Ferland Mendy, Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Éder Militao and Rodrygo have led Real Madrid to spend more than any other summer.
Real Madrid's close-season rebuild has led to a club-record summer spend. Following the announcement that left-back Ferland Mendy is to join from Olympique Lyon, Los Blancos have now shelled out over 300m euros on five players - with more new faces expected to arrive at the Bernabéu.
Real Madrid summer spend outstrips 2009 spree
Previously, Madrid's greatest summer outlay had come in 2009, when Florentino Pérez's return as club president led to a shopping spree that saw the LaLiga giants fork out a combined 258.5m euros on Cristiano Ronaldo (for a then-world-record 94m), Kaká (60m), Karim Benzema (35m), Xabi Alonso (34.5m), Raúl Albiol (15m), Álvaro Negredo (5m), Álvaro Arbeloa (4m) and Esteban Granero (4m).
In recent years, a combination of transfer-market inflation, the 575m-euro cost of the planned Bernabéu revamp, and the team's silverware success - particularly in the Champions League - had seen Pérez adopt a more restrained, longer-term approach that prioritised future prospects over established stars. However, a disastrous, trophyless 2018/19 season (one that brought Madrid's worst results in 20 years) has left the club chief with little option but to splash out.
303m euros on five signings - so far...
So far, Madrid's summer 2019 recruits have cost a total of 303m. Rodrygo was the first to be signed up, in a 45m-euro deal with Santos, followed by fellow Brazilian Éder Militao, who is to join from Porto for 50m. Luka Jovic was the next to be confirmed, with his 60m-euro purchase completed in the same week as that of Eden Hazard, who at 100m plus add-ons is Madrid's marquee signing of the window. Finally, the capture of Mendy for 48m plus variables was sealed on Wednesday.
Hazard to be unveiled on Thursday
Having unveiled Jovic on Wednesday afternoon, Madrid are to present Hazard on Thursday evening at 19:00 CEST - an event which you'll be able to follow live with AS English. Mendy, meanwhile, is to appear before the media on 19 June.