Much to Do at the Bernabeu

With 20 days left until the start of the preseason and the North American tour the Merengues still have a lot to sort out. The first major issue is the need for another central midfielder. Zidane is looking to sign Pogba, as we all know, but Manchester United is holding steadfast in their resistance to let him go. The alternative is Erikson, who the club looks favorably upon as the alternative, especially due to a lower price tag. So far Erikson has held out against signing a new contract with Tottenham. Although there have been major signings the club has been unable thus far to sell any of the surplus of players on the squad. At least 12 players need to be offloaded before the start of the season. With Navas leaving (although no deal has been made as of yet) Courtois can take over the lead role at the goalkeeping position, yet the second goalkeeper has not been decided. Luca Zidane may be sent on loan and Lunin is looking to grab that spot for second keeper. Zizou also has plans to change his system of play. 4-3-3 was the basis scheme for the BBC. 4-3-1-2 was also used with Isco in the midfield. With the arrival of Hazard and the potential arrival of Mbappe and Pogba this could all change. Zidane can experiment new schemes on the US tour in July. Fans are expecting a lot of change – nothing less than a complete overhaul – of this team that won nothing and looked, frankly, not too interested in playing this past season. A lot has been done in the past few weeks to appease fans but if Florentino really wants to get people excited it could be with a huge signing like Mbappe, but we may have to wait another year for that.