According to The Athletic, Mourinho has been involved in the summer transfer planning since returning to Real Madrid, specifically mentioning the need to strengthen the midfield and pushing the team to complete several important signings.
The report states that Mourinho's top choice is Enzo Fernandes, and he also favors M. Fernandes; Vinicius was once very close to joining Arsenal, but ultimately chose to extend his contract with Real Madrid until 2032.
When Mourinho officially took office on June 11, he and Real Madrid's senior leadership—including Perez, general manager José Ángel Sánchez, and chief scout Juni Calafat—had already developed a strategy to deal with the situation.
Over the past few months, the results of the meetings between the two sides have gradually become apparent, with Real Madrid investing the largest sum of money in the transfer market since 2019.
This summer, Real Madrid spent approximately €260 million (£223 million; $300 million) on six new signings and paid Benfica €15 million to terminate Mourinho's contract with the Portuguese club.
Former Liverpool centre-back Nathan Konaté and former Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva joined as free agents, while the club also reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Cucurella for up to €60 million. Right-back Dumfries joined from Inter Milan for €20 million (£21.6 million; $29.1 million), striker Espi transferred from Levante for €25 million ($29 million; £21 million), and winger Jan Diomande joined from RB Leipzig for a club-record fee that could reach €140 million.
Real Madrid has recently avoided deeply involving its head coach in the transfer process, but this has changed. Former coaches Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso, and Arbeloa did not participate as extensively as Mourinho.
This is perhaps one of the main reasons why the Madrid board and Mourinho both agree that this transfer window has been a success – the team is now ready to compete for all the titles.
At the same time, both externally and internally, there's a prevailing opinion that the team still lacks a certain type of player: a midfielder capable of controlling the tempo of the game. From this perspective, Rodri's decision to join Barcelona is undoubtedly a blow.
Does Mourinho have the Real Madrid squad he needs? Real Madrid signed six key players this summer and won all three of their first three La Liga matches, but some concerns remain.
The Athletic will take you through Madrid's busiest transfer windows in recent years.
Real Madrid and Mourinho began planning to build a new squad in early May, initially through agent Mendes.
From the outset, both sides agreed on the positions that needed strengthening. Mourinho's vision aligned with the club's desires: to bring in a second right-back (depending on the budget) to provide healthy competition with Trent Alexander-Arnold; at least one strong center-back; a top-class left-back; and a creative midfielder. These needs were quickly met.
The signings of Konaté and Dumfries were officially confirmed on June 18 and July 5, respectively, but these two deals had already been completed before the Madrid presidential election, in which Perez was re-elected on June 7.
Dumfries is seen as a defensive full-back, which would complement Arnold's more attacking style. Konaté's arrival is to fill the void at center-back, following injuries to Antonio Rüdiger (who has extended his contract until 2027) and Militao. The team needs experienced players to supplement 21-year-old Dean Huisen and 23-year-old Raúl Asensio.
On paper, despite their different roles, Dumfries and Konaté will fill the void left by Carvajal and Alaba's departures. Carvajal and Alaba became free agents after failing to secure contract extensions. Ceballos also left in June, agreeing to terminate a contract that was originally set to expire in 2027.
Next, Real Madrid signed Cucurella from Chelsea. Real Madrid's swift action most clearly demonstrated their seriousness in this transfer window.
They beat Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to the punch, reaching an agreement with the club to sign the 28-year-old for €55 million plus €5 million in add-ons (£51.7 million; $69.4 million). This came despite Real Madrid already having three left-backs in their squad: Carreras, Ferland Mendy, and Fran Garcia, all of whom eventually transferred to Real Betis for €4 million, with Real Madrid retaining a 50% resale clause.
Despite rejecting offers to sign Bernardo Silva months earlier, Real Madrid once again beat Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to sign the 32-year-old after his departure from Manchester City. His arrival has impacted Nico Paz.
The 21-year-old Argentine midfielder is expected to return to the Bernabéu via a buy-back clause of around €9 million, which is included in his deal to transfer to Italian club Como in August 2024.
However, the talks between Pass and Mourinho disappointed both sides, and Bernardo Silva's transfer option ultimately prompted Real Madrid and Como to renegotiate the contract terms. Real Madrid stated that they expect to receive €60 million from the transfer, with the previous buy-back and resale clauses being cancelled. They now have a new buy-back option of €80 million.
Many other names were linked with Real Madrid. Despite denials from club sources, Mourinho's first choice was Enzo Fernandes. Days after The Athletic reported he was unlikely to join, Real Madrid stated in an official press release that they had no interest in the midfielder. Ultimately, Fernandes joined Manchester City on transfer deadline day for a record £125 million.
Another player Mourinho likes is Matthäus Fernandes, but the club will never pay the £85 million that Tottenham Hotspur paid for West Ham United.
Moroccan 18-year-old midfielder Ayoub Bouadi is attracting significant attention during the 2026 World Cup. He is set to join Manchester City from Lille for a fee that could reach €100 million. Real Madrid had been monitoring him even before his breakout performance at this summer's World Cup, but at the time believed he wasn't ready to join the club.
In the preceding months, Real Madrid had repeatedly rejected the signing of Rodri, but after he led Spain to the World Cup victory, Real Madrid changed their stance. They began negotiations with Rodri's team and were confident of reaching an agreement with Manchester City, until Rodri ultimately chose to join Barcelona.
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Prior to this, Real Madrid had sensed something amiss and asked those close to Rodri and his team to gather information. This incident attracted widespread attention, not only from the outside world but also from within Real Madrid itself. Those in Real Madrid's day-to-day operations and those close to the players believed Rodri was key, and they were eager to know more, even contacting reporters to find out what had happened.
When the plan clearly fell through, Madrid changed their strategy: now they must sell one player in order to sign another.
This decision seems somewhat contradictory, given Mourinho's desire to bring in another midfielder and Real Madrid's previous attempts to sign Rodri. Even more surprising is the widespread belief that the team needs a player who can control the tempo of the game, a requirement echoed by former managers Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso.
Madrid are open to offers for Eduardo Camavinga and Raul Asensio, but neither has shown any sign of wanting to leave.
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In terms of attack, The Athletic reported in June that Mourinho was interested in signing a number 9 like Joselu, who played an important role as a substitute for Real Madrid in the 2023-24 season.
However, this was not the priority, as the club decided it was necessary to sell another striker to meet its transfer requirements. Gonzalo Garcia's €40 million move to Fulham (now managed by former Real Madrid coach Alberoa) broke the deadlock and paved the way for Espi's arrival.
Initially, signing a right winger wasn't Real Madrid's top priority, but as time went on, they gradually realized the team needed strengthening. This idea became even clearer after the World Cup, with The Athletic revealing that Real Madrid had joined the race for RB Leipzig's Diomande. Previously, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain both held the advantage, but Real Madrid ultimately succeeded in signing Diomande, with the deal potentially reaching €140 million.
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Some in Madrid believe that Vinicius Junior's contract extension until 2032 is comparable to a blockbuster signing. The 26-year-old Brazilian winger was very keen to join Arsenal, but lengthy negotiations ultimately ended with him staying at the Bernabéu.
In addition to these signings, Real Madrid also generated considerable revenue through player departures, secondary transfer fees from previous transfers, and renegotiating the transfer fee for Paz with Como. The total amount was approximately €190 million, including €60 million from the Paz transfer fee.
Victor Muñoz's transfer to Liverpool falls into the second category. Because Real Madrid included a 50% resale clause in their sale of him to Osasuna last year, they are expected to receive up to €20 million from the deal.
