Real Madrid's €300m spending spree continues, who's next to join Zidane's revolution?

Last season was a traumatic one for everyone involved with Real Madrid. A club used to dominating and winning plenty of silverware, they ended the year with just the Club World Cup to show for their efforts.

They suffered an embarrassingly early exit from the Champions League at the hands of Ajax (5-3) in the round of 16 ending their hopes of winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive title.

Whilst domestically they stumbled to a third placed finish in La Liga, finishing a massive 19 points behind winners Barcelona in a campaign that saw them lose 12 times - a club record.

They got through two managers in Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari before managing to tempt Zinedine Zidane to return to the club. He wanted assurances over transfers and finances if he was to come back and Florentino Perez has certainly delivered on that front...

Not even a month since the season ended, Los Blancos have brought in 5 big money arrivals, 4 of which are 24 or under which shows that they're planning for the future.

Their ageing squad was really exposed last term and Zidane has identified that and acted quickly, so it's going to be really interesting to see how they line up next season.

The most recent transfer came yesterday when they confirmed the arrival of highly rated Lyon full back Ferland Mendy for around £47m - joining Eder Militao (£42m), Rodrygo (£40m), Luka Jovic (£53m) and Eden Hazard (£90m) in moving to Spain. Big money and they're not expected to be done there, with the likes of Paul Pogba Tanguy NDombele and Christian Eriksen all linked with a transfer.

A new midfielder is expected to be at the top of Zidane's shopping list but after spending over €300m on new recruits already, they need to sell to comply with FFP rules which come into effect on 1st July if they can't get a move completely quickly.

From 1st July (2019/20) new FFP rules from UEFA will be brought in which state that clubs will only be able to spend €100m more on transfers than what they make on player sales.

This change has been in the pipeline for a while but European footballs governing body have managed to get it ready for July. It's seen as a way of stopping clubs with huge funds or wealthy owners from outspending their rivals to an extent. Something which the original FFP really failed to do - just look at PSG in recent years with the Kylian Mbappe (£140m) and Neymar (£198m) deals for example.

More wheeling and dealing will need to be done to balance the books & it's going to be interesting to see just how successful the new rules will prove to be, as the existing FFP rules have been bent to an extent by certain clubs.

All of the transfers made by Los Blancos so far will go on the books for this season (2018/19), which has probably played a major role in Florentino Perez trying to get them over the line as quick as possible.

Income will need to be generated from player sales and there's certainly plenty on the books at the Bernabeu who'll generate serious interest. The likes of Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Keylor Navas and Isco have all been strongly linked with moves away from the Spanish capital and they'd receive significant fees for them, which can go straight in the transfer kitty.

Wales international Bale is perhaps the highest profile of all the players rumoured to be on the move, with the former Tottenham man a controversial figure in Madrid. It's reported that his relationship with both his teammates and Zidane is at rock bottom, so it's no surprise to see Manchester United linked with him again.

The Red Devils are currently odds on favourites (10/11 @ SkyBet) to get a deal over the line and he'd cost a substantial amount of money - a move for him could perhaps play a role in Paul Pogba swapping Manchester for Madrid?

It looks like the bulk of Real Madrid's transfer activity has been completed, with just the task of adding an extra body in the engine room remaining.

Of the names linked with a move to the Bernabeu, Paul Pogba is the one generating the most interest, with Zidane a keen admirer of his compatriots talents.

Prizing him away from Manchester United won't be easy, despite him enduring something of an inconsistent campaign. On paper it looks like a pretty good one, he enjoyed his most productive season in terms of goal involvements (13G 9A in 35 apps) but this didn't stop the Red Devils slumping to a sixth placed finish.

He's evidently a magnificent footballer but his questionable work ethic and antics off the pitch haven't gone down well with the fans, with many calling on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to ship him out. United paid £90m to sign him three years ago and would make a healthy profit should a deal be agreed, although they've made it clear they want to retain him. So this is definitely a move to keep an eye on, although it's unlikely it would come to fruition before July due to the complexity of any potential deal.

Tanguy Ndombele is another name linked and he's very much in the Pogba mould. He may not score or assist as many but he's a powerful, dominant midfielder who'd add plenty of steel and physicality to the Madrid engine room - complimenting the technical attributes of the superb Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

This was something that they were definitely missing last year when things weren't going well and NDombele has proven himself as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in Europe this season, impressing for both club and country. Real have a good working relationship with Lyon and he'd represent a decent replacement for Pogba should it fail a move for him over the line.

Probably the most attainable of them all is Tottenham Hotspur man Christian Eriksen, who recently issued a come and get me plea to Zinedine Zidane. The Dane is one of the finest playmakers in European football and he'd add plenty of class to the Real midfield, although he is very similar to what they have in that area.

But with just a year left to run on his deal in North London he could be available for transfer, which means he's likely to be a cheaper alternative to Pogba and NDombele which will appeal to Florentino Perez after shelling out over €300m on transfers already.

We're likely to see just one more through the door and if Zidane can get his man in Pogba, it would be a real Galactico signing. There's big pressure on them for next season and they MUST improve on their dismal showing last term, or risk facing the wrath of the demanding Madridistas.