Real Madrid have reportedly shortlisted five players - including three from the Premier League - to become the potential long-term replacement for Toni Kroos.
Kroos retired from all football after helping Real Madrid to a 15th Champions League crown last season, and representing Germany at a home European Championship.
No replacement was brought in to replace the midfielder though, as Los Blancos focused all their attention on getting a deal for Kylian Mbappe over the line.
Carlo Ancelotti's side have struggled in the absence of Kroos though, with injuries adding to their problems across all areas of the pitch, especially in midfield.
Eduardo Camavinga picked up a muscle injury in the disappointing 2-0 defeat to Liverpool last week, joining Aurelien Tchouameni on the sidelines, while 39-year-old Luka Modric can also not be expected to play two games per week at his age.
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Liverpool man 'caught the eye' of Real Madrid last week
Following this troubling start, that has left Real Madrid lingering closer to the elimination zone in the Champions League than they would have liked, five players have been singled out as potential incomers to the Bernabeu.
Diarios AS claim that along with Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, Liverpool's Curtis Jones and Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez are also being considered as potential Kroos replacements.
Jones was one of the starters in Liverpool's win over Real Madrid, evidently catching the eye of the hierarchy at the Spanish giants.
The 23-year-old is not always a regular at Anfield, though, so could be a more-attainable option than Rodri, who will be very tough to prise away from Manchester City.
Fernandez is another player who has not been given as many minutes as he would have liked this season, but the £105m man has become an important player to Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca again of late, scoring in back-to-back league wins.
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Who else are Real Madrid considering?
It is not just Premier League talent that Real are believed to be scouting though, because Joshua Kimmich and Vitinha's names have both been thrown into the ring too.
Kimmich has been a long-term regular for both Bayern Munich and Germany, and while he would have known Kroos' game very well, he is certainly a more combative player compared to the midfield maestro.
Vitinha has also emerged as one of Europe's finest midfielders in recent years, earning a move to Paris Saint-Germain and impressing for Portugal at Euro 2024.
After a brief spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Vitinha had a breakout season at Porto, before moving to PSG in 2022, where he has since been a regular for the French champions, but would not come cheap.
Andrew Delaney
