After Barcelona made major signings in the 2022 summer transfer window and won LaLiga, the onus is on Real Madrid to be aggressive on the market and catch up, as they were closer to falling to third, occupied by crosstown rivals Atlético Madrid, than they were to winning the league. Meanwhile, La Blaugrana are expected to remain active buyers as they look to improve in the Champions League.
So it’s safe to say the 2023 summer transfer window will be an exciting one for LaLiga fans. As such, we will keep you up to date with all the latest transfers in the Spanish top flight, grading each one of them with a brief snippet of analysis to help familiarize you with the implications of each major move.
All known terms of the deal will be in bold print for your convenience.
César Azpilicueta to Atlético Madrid
Atlético Madrid have made another notable signing in the summer 2023 transfer window to add depth to their defense, signing former Chelsea captain César Azpilicueta on a free transfer, per a report from Fabrizio Romano. The 33-year-old will be on the books through the 2024/25 season.
It’s unclear how much Azpilicueta has left at the top level, but he is still a decent enough player due to his experience and versatility. Atléti tend to go for veteran players more than young talents, probably because they trust the players they develop from their academy.
As a free transfer, there is nothing wrong with signing Azpi, who had a very good defensive season in the Premier League and even the Champions League last season for an otherwise poor Chelsea side.
Grade: B
Javi Galán to Atlético Madrid
Javi Galán first emerged on the radar in the 2020/21 season for SD Huesca upon their promotion to LaLiga, and while they immediately went back to the Segunda, Galán remained in the top flight after clearly establishing himself as one of the best all-around wide men.
Since joining Celta Vigo, Galán has become an even bigger standout. The 28-year-old has been tremendous in each of the past two seasons, averaging around four combined tackles and interceptions with 1.4 key passes and 1.9 dribbles completed in his last season.
Atlético Madrid have been after him for some weeks now, and Fabrizio Romano reports the deal is done. To reduce the cost of the Galán transfer to just four/five million euros, Atléti will include Manu Sánchez in the transfer with Celta. The 22-year-old left back, loaned to Osasuna last season, is worth 10 million euros in the eyes of Transfermarkt.
Grade: A, Manu Sánchez is a decent footballer, but using him to bring the fee down to five million euros was a great bit of business. Galán is one of the most underrated players in world football.
İlkay Gündoğan to Barcelona
Still one of the best midfielders in the world at the age of 32, İlkay Gündoğan added to his underrated legacy in the modern game by hoisting the elusive Champions League title this past season with Manchester City. And oh by the way, he won another Premier League title.
Gündoğan can play virtually any role in midfield and is an excellent free-agent signing for Barcelona. He only dreamed of Barcelona, so La Blaugrana have got their man. They are signing someone who understands the philosophy and values of the club and has the skill set to execute the instructions set by Xavi.
Signing the right veteran free agents is an important skill, and after making one of the genius deals of the summer last year in Andreas Christensen, Barça’s judgment on the market can now be trusted. Per Romano, his contract will last two years with an option for a third.
Grade: A, Signing a world-class midfielder for free? That’s always a strong grade. He may not come cheap in terms of wages, but since he is only on the books for two seasons, it is worth the risk. You have to pay a premium for any established free agent.
Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid
At the end of the day, a 103 million euro transfer fee for Jude Bellingham, per Transfermarkt, is money well-spent. Bellingham is absolutely worth that sort of money after a historically great season in center midfield for Borussia Dortmund in which he nearly carried an extremely flawed squad to the Bundesliga title.
Often performing the role of multiple midfielders, Bellingham averaged 4.2 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game, as well as 2.6 combined tackles and interceptions per match in the Bundesliga. All the while, the teenager provided end product, scoring eight goals with four assists. Many of these goal contributions came from absolutely nothing and showcased a great deal of technical quality.
Because he had to absorb so many fouls and do so much running in defense, Bellingham didn’t get to show his true attacking quality. At Real Madrid, he should be able to play further up the pitch with players like Toni Kroos, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga, and Fede Valverde capable of providing the structure and/or intensity that Bellingham missed from his, quite frankly, mediocre teammates in Dortmund.
Elite players cost a premium price, and Real Madrid have just signed the best possible player on the transfer market. Bellingham is as big of a signing as Erling Haaland was for Manchester City, the 2022/23 Champions League and Premier League winners, in the last summer window.
Grade: A, Only the (fair) transfer fee prevents this from being an A+.
Joselu to Real Madrid
Joselu is one of the most under-appreciated strikers in world football. For a few seasons, Joselu elevated Deportivo Alavés as the reference point in the attack, dominating in the air and holding up play as well as any striker on the planet to help keep the club up in LaLiga. But Alavés eventually fell back down to the Segunda last season.
Although Joselu’s new employers, Espanyol, also suffered the same fate, none of that can be blamed on the Real Madrid academy product. Joselu was one of the best strikers in LaLiga and arguably the best after Robert Lewandowski. No Spanish international scored more goals than the 33-year-old’s 16.
Espanyol may be going back down, but Joselu is getting his dream move to stay up, reuniting with Real Madrid as a vital striker in the squad after Karim Benzema’s decision to leave for Saudi Arabia. Madrid need a true starter at striker, but Joselu is the best backup option possible and would not embarrass himself as a starter.
Real Madrid will pay Espanyol just 500,000 euros to acquire one of the best strikers in Spanish football on loan, and when the season is done, they have the option to make it permanent for a meager 1.5 million euros, per Fabrizio Romano.
No obligation and potentially just two million euros to acquire Joselu if he repeats his 2022/23 excellence in 2023/24. This might be one of the best deals in European football so far.
Grade: A+, Made all the more sweeter by the touching reunion aspect, which includes one of the lowest salaries in the Madrid squad.
