Transfer Talk: Star trio top Real Madrid's winter wish list

Sat top of LaLiga and already through to the Champions League last 16, life is pretty good for reigning Spanish and European champions Real Madrid.

However, Los Blancos have never been known for taking things easy in the transfer market and a host of star names are being linked with a Bernabeu move this winter.

As Carlo Ancelotti’s men prepare to take on Celtic in their final continental group game this evening, we look at some of the players who could soon be pulling on the famous white shirt. 

Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle)

Brazilian midfield maestro Bruno Guimaraes could hardly have looked more at home since swapping Lyon for Newcastle last January — but his stay on Tyneside could yet prove short-lived.

Reports in Spain have suggested that officials from Madrid contacted the Magpies last month, attempting to gauge what kind of fee would be required to prise Guimaraes away from St James' Park.

Due to Newcastle’s healthy financial situation under their current owners, there is no need for them to sell at any price, so a move would likely only materialise if Guimaraes himself pushed for it.

Asked about the rumours, the 24-year-old said: "It’s always nice when there are teams looking at you, but my plan is just to do my best at Newcastle. The rest, I leave with my agent.

"I have three or four years of contract left. It’s so long. I swear I’m not thinking about other things. My focus now is just on Newcastle and the World Cup."

Among the Premier League’s top 10 central midfielders for possessions won in both the defensive and attacking thirds, through balls completed and several passing stats, it is little wonder Guimaraes is in such fierce demand.

Heung-Min Son (Tottenham)

If Heung-Min Son wants to win the biggest prizes club football has to offer, he may have to leave Tottenham in the next 12 months.

The popular South Korean, 30, continues to be a reliable source of goals and assists for the North Londoners and was a surprise joint-winner of the Premier League Golden Boot last term.

However, Spurs’ recent slump suggests another trophyless season could be on the cards — one which would surely unsettle their star players.

Los Blancos boss Ancelotti is said to be a huge fan of Son and is keen to bolster his options in attack with the likes of Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio too often flattering to deceive. 

The No7 is one of the game’s most reliable producers, ranking inside the Premier League’s top 10 players for both attempted crosses and chances created this season.

His service would surely be music to the ears of Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema in the Spanish capital. 

Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)

Already one of the game’s most impressive midfielders, 19-year-old Jude Bellingham looks to have outgrown Borussia Dortmund.

The England international only joined the Bundesliga outfit from Championship side Birmingham in the summer of 2020 but needed little time to leap from a fringe player to BVB’s talisman.

Brilliant performances on both a domestic and continental level this term have attracted the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United — though it is Madrid who appear to hold the aces.

Driven by prestige and achievement rather than money, Bellingham recently told reporters in Germany: "I want to win way more, and I want to continue to push the boundaries of my own potential and talent."

And it is at the Bernabeu where his representatives supposedly see him hitting the greatest heights, with Los Blancos chiefs willing to build a new-look engine room around the Stourbridge-born starlet.

With Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in their twilight years, and Casemiro having departed for pastures new, Bellingham could very soon be Madrid’s marquee midfielder for the next generation.