Former Real Madrid Boss Claims Club Will Have Half a Billion Euros to Spend This Summer
Former Real Madrid manager Fabio Capello has given weight to the speculation surrounding the club's ridiculous transfer budget for next season, claiming they have set aside an incredible €500m to spend on renovating the playing squad.
After a dreadful season that saw both Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari come and go, the club will finish the campaign with no silverware, and have re-appointed Zinedine Zidane just ten months after he walked out of the job.
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One of the factors thought to have convinced the Frenchman, who famously won three consecutive Champions Leagues in his first spell, to return is the club's ambitious transfer plans, and rumours surrounding who they might move for and how much they will spend have gone into overdrive.
In one of the more concrete updates we have seen on the situation, Capello confirmed via Sky Sports Italia (as quoted in The Mirror) that they will indeed be spending big.
“I was in Barcelona and I was told that this year Real Madrid have €500m to spend," the former England boss said. "I asked, 'Are you sure?' The answer was yes and that came from someone who knows a lot about Real Madrid.”
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Capello's word likely carries a lot of weight at Real. While not quite a legendary figure, he had two brief spells with the club in 1996-97 and 2006-07, winning La Liga on both occasions.
If his word is to be believed, then, the pressing question is which players the budget will be spent on. The club have been linked with moves for Eden Hazard, Sadio Mane, Paul Pogba and a host of other players to the point that it is almost beyond parody.
It's also expected that their budget will be supplemented with the fees raised for outgoing players. Gareth Bale is widely expected to leave, while Toni Kroos and Raphael Varane are among a number of current first team stars who have been linked with moves away.
