Stiller tops Madrid's wishlist as Carreras deal cools

Having already secured Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid are setting their sights on their next target. And it's not a left-back, despite Alvaro Carreras's name being strongly linked over the past month. The priority has now shifted to bolstering the midfield.

In this regard, the name that most appeals to the Real Madrid hierarchy is Angelo Stiller, a 24-year-old German midfielder currently playing his trade at Stuttgart. While not the only name on their list, he is at the top of it for now. His name has been circulating in both German and Spanish press in recent days.

Marca reports that Madrid's priority is to secure his signing ahead of the Club World Cup. This aim is helped by a minor injury Stiller sustained in the DFB-Pokal final, which ruled him out of the latter stages of the UEFA Nations League and may allow him to prepare for the FIFA tournament in the United States.

Stiller comes with the recommendation of Toni Kroos. After a season in which physicality failed to provide the desired control, Madrid are now seeking composure and order in midfield—qualities that the Munich-born player possesses.

Developed at Bayern's academy and established in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim and Stuttgart, Stiller is neither a global star nor an unproven youngster, but he is considered ready to make the step up without requiring a massive outlay.

Reports in Germany suggest a fee of between €40 and €50 million. Stuttgart are known for signing players cheaply, developing them, and selling them on, so they are unlikely to hold firm. Nonetheless, AS indicates that talks are yet to begin.

During the media frenzy surrounding the arrivals of Huijsen and TAA, the third piece of Real Madrid's early market puzzle was Alvaro Carreras, the Benfica left-back.

Spanish outlet COPE even reported that a deal had been finalised. However, the move appears to have stalled in recent days for various reasons. One key factor is that Benfica are also participating in the Club World Cup and would prefer not to part with him until the competition concludes.

For this reason, although Madrid are keen to add a left-back, the club believes securing a midfield orchestrator takes precedence over Carreras, with confidence in Fran Garcia to hold the fort during the tournament.

Furthermore, negotiations for his transfer are complicated by the involvement of a third party: Manchester United.

Carreras joined Benfica a year and a half ago, initially on loan following a brief spell at Granada, and made the move permanent last July, with the Portuguese club paying €6 million for his transfer.

However, United retained an €18 million buyback option, meaning that of the €40–50 million Benfica are asking for the 22-year-old left-back, €18 million would go to the Red Devils as compensation.