Real Madrid’s summer reboot began long before the transfer window opened. Florentino Pérez handed the dugout to Xabi Alonso, then armed his new coach with a trio of signings that feel both opportunistic and unmistakably Madrid. The club also moved quietly to safeguard key contracts while allowing three veterans to depart on respectful terms—proof that even in a summer of change, the institution still prizes continuity.

A squad refreshed and recommitted

The headline arrival is Dean Huijsen, the 6‑foot‑5 center‑back prised from AFC Bournemouth after a breakout Premier League season. Madrid triggered his £50 million release clause—roughly $66 million—and tied the international to a five-year deal through 2030. At 20, Huijsen is the most expensive defender in club history, yet the front office sees him as the long‑term anchor of a rebuilt back line.

Trent Alexander‑Arnold followed, ending two decades at Liverpool for a $11 million make‑weight designed to secure his registration before the expanded Club . The Englishman signed a six-year deal that runs through 2031 in Madrid. In flawless Spanish at his unveiling, the right‑back told the Bernabéu, “Being there for 20 years… I feel like it was the right moment for me.” Alonso gains an elite distributor who can overlap, invert, or simply crack open deep blocks with one diagonal.

The wildcard is Franco Mastantuono, the 17‑year‑old Argentine prodigy Madrid coaxed from River Plate. His £38.5 million clause converts to roughly $49 million, a price that underlines the club’s faith in a teenager who has already logged 60 senior matches and an Albiceleste debut. He cannot officially register until his 18th birthday on August 14, but insiders insist his preseason minutes have already impressed the staff.

Contract business was just as pointed.

  • Brahim Díaz, now a trusted first‑off‑the‑bench creator, has reached a “multi year” extension that stretches beyond the 2027 terms of his previous deal.
  • Thibaut Courtois, whose glove work dragged Madrid past Pachuca at the Club World Cup, is negotiating a two-year add-on to 2028—an exception to the club’s usual one-year policy for players over 30. “Quiero retirarme aquí,” the Belgian told AS: “I want to retire here.”

Three departures closed the circle.

  • Luka Modrić accepted a free transfer to AC Milan after 13 glittering years. Pérez’s farewell was pure Florentino: “Luka Modrić will forever remain in the hearts of all madridistas… His legacy will live on forever.”
  • Lucas Vázquez and Jesús Vallejo also exited when their contracts expired, ending a combined 22 seasons of squad service.

The ledger tells its own story. Madrid have spent about $126 million in transfer fees and recouped nothing in sales—yet the net outlay feels restrained for a club that once shattered records every summer. The football logic is cleaner still: a defensive facelift, a creator of set‑piece chaos, and a midfield jewel for the next decade, all while rewarding core contributors who buy into Alonso’s project.

A more feverish window could still unfold—Rodrygo’s future, for instance, remains open as Arsenal circle—but Madrid’s early work already sketches a squad built for now and later. Where leaned on experience, Alonso inherits a room that skews younger yet is buffered by newly extended leaders. That balance, more than any headline fee, may define Real Madrid’s 2025‑26 season.