The Camavinga and Asensio scenario: a ticking time bomb threatening Real Madrid's mercato

The calm before the storm in Madrid

Calm and calculated, watching every ripple in the market, Real Madrid are preparing to enter the final stretch of the summer transfer window. Their position looks closed on the surface. Beneath it lies extreme caution.

The window enters its final and decisive week. The curtain officially falls at 11:59pm on 1 September, the deadline for clubs to conclude any new signings.

According to the Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", Real Madrid consider their signings dossier closed in principle. Management and coach José Mourinho stress at every turn that the squad is complete, and voice their full satisfaction with the current line-up.

Six strong deals bolstered the ranks over the summer, bringing in Cucurella, Konaté, Bernardo Silva, Diomande, Espai and Dumfries, on top of Mourinho's own appointment as coach.

That declared completeness masks a more complex reality inside the offices at Valdebebas. The club consider the market closed, but not in absolute, final terms. One door has been left deliberately ajar, and only one thing will open it: the departure of a current player.

Two names top the list of potential candidates to leave, Eduardo Camavinga and Raúl Asencio. Neither is showing any desire to go, least of all the French star, who is determined to stay.

The defender, by contrast, remains available. His agent Jorge Mendes is working to find him a new destination, though a current injury greatly complicates any exit.

So Real Madrid live in a state of active anticipation. The management are monitoring the market closely, with particular focus on the midfield and centre-back positions, ready for any sudden turn in the situations of Camavinga and Asencio, or for a tempting, unexpected offer landing for one of the players in the final hours of the window.