Florentino Pérez has a plan: Mbappé, Haaland, Bernabéu...
Los Blancos president was reelected for a new mandate after being unchallenged. The spectacular new Bernabéu, and some major signings are his greatest challenges.
It was unlikely to ever be anything different, as we all knew, and on Monday night, as the deadline for other candidates for the presidency of Real Madrid closed at midnight, it was made official. Florentino Pérez, having put himself forward for this new electoral cycle (2021-2025) was to remain in charge. And following his previous spells - 2000 until 2006 and 2009 until now - there is little to suggest that the challenges for his successful presidency will be any smaller despite the strong showing for his current teams.
Four years to take the men and women’s football and basketball teams forward, and there’s a new stadium to be graced too. A few of the items on Pérez's mind...
Real Madrid news:
The Santiago Bernabéu
The construction of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium continues at full speed, which has been aided by the pandemic-enforced ban on supporters. The decision to play all games at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium also helped as it prevented the need to interrupt the progress on match days.
The new Bernabéu will be finished by the end of 2022 or early 2023, and from then on it is estimated to bring in more than 200 million euros a year in addition to the usual ticketing, members, season ticket holders and VIP boxes. The roof that will enclose the stands and the retractable turf, which will allow all kinds of events to be held and the attraction of the futuristic-looking stadium is expected to be high.
Mbappé and Haaland
With the new stadium expected to be visited not only by fans of Los Blancos by around 80% of tourists to the popular Spanish capital city, Pérez has his sights set on ensuring some global superstars are connected with it. The signings of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland are his main objectives.
The young Frenchman is still refusing to renew his contract with PSG, and has made the case clear for his departure, while the Norwegian goal-getter is somewhat more complex. Borussia Dortmund are prepared to push for a transfer fee north of 180 million euros - prohibitive in the current climate - and so his arrival could be postponed until 2022. The positive is that Haaland appears very keen to be part of the LaLiga club.
Contract renewals
Both Sergio Ramos and Lucas Vázquez have an uncertain future at Madrid, with their contracts edging closer to an end. The club offered them to renew for the same contracts they are currently on, but with a 10% reduction in salary (one year for the captain and three years for the Galician). Both rejected that first proposal.
Luka Modric, on the other hand, has agreed and will continue until at least 2022, with an expectation to stay longer if his standards are maintained.
Women’s football commitment
Real Madrid are on course to achieve the main objective of their first season in the women's top flight: to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Real Madrid are third in the Primera Iberdrola table, five points clear of closest challengers Madrid CFF.
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Playing in Europe next season looks set to be crucial both in terms of securing the long-awaited renewals and attracting new national and international talent.