Real Madrid have €372m available to sign Cristiano Ronaldo replacement

Spanish newspaper AS reports that Real Madrid have €372m (£331.6m) in the bank ready to sign their next “galactico”.

The La Liga giants failed to replace Cristiano Ronaldo after his summer switch to Juventus and were linked with moves for Paris Saint-Germain stars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

According to AS, citing the Real Madrid treasurer’s report, the club has “€190m [£169.3m] plus credit of €182m [£161.1] at a highly competitive variable rate of interest”. The money was “saved for an operation that never came to pass” after failing to lure Neymar or Mbappe to Spain.

With Ronaldo now in Serie A at Juve, Real have the finances to bring in their next superstar. However, AS adds that the club’s transfer dealings could be left in a “delicate position” because of plans to renovate the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Real president Florentino Perez is “looking to indebt the club to the tune of €575m [£512.2m]” for the Bernabeu upgrade and that might pose a problem for the Champions League holders in future seasons.

Who will replace Ronaldo at Real Madrid?

If Real’s management do get the funds to bid for new signings, who could be on the radar as a Ronaldo replacement?

As well as Neymar and Mbappe, Real have been linked with the following players in recent months:

• Eden Hazard (Chelsea) 
• Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) 
• Paul Pogba (Manchester United) 
• Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
• Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) 
• Paulo Dybala (Juventus) 
• Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan) 
• Harry Kane (Tottenham) 
• Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)