While the drama surrounding De Gea rumbles on, Madrid will return to work next Friday with Benítez yet to make any signings. Since he arrived at the Bernabéu, on June 2, the club has only brought two former players back in Casemiro and Lucas Vázquez (Madrid confirmed his return on a five-year deal yesterday), paying €8.5 million in total. Cheryshev has also returned from his loan with Villarreal and Madrid secured three signings in the last months of the Ancelotti era: Danilo, Marco Asensio and Ødegaard. For all three they paid €39.5 million.
The picture is a radically different one, for now at least, to the host of big-money signings Florentino made for Pellegrini, Mourinho and Ancelotti during their first seasons in charge. In the case of the Chilean, who coincided with the start of Florentino’s second stint as president, Madrid spent €251 million on big names such as Cristiano, Kaka, Benzema and Xabi Alonso. Mourinho spent €68 million (Di María, Özil, Khedira…), while Ancelotti took advantage of €176.4 million being spent on his squad, including Bale, the most expensive signing in the club’s history (€101 million).