Perez hints at £130m Real Madrid signing by ruling out Kane, Haaland, Olise and Doku

Florentino Perez has pledged to make the largest transfer in Real Madrid’s history — worth approximately €150m (£130m) — if re-elected as club president, telling Spanish TV show Horizonte that an offer to a major Champions League club would be submitted “on Tuesday or so” for a forward-minded player who will “generate excitement.”

The announcement came as Perez campaigned for another presidential term at the Bernabéu, with Real Madrid having gone two successive seasons without a trophy. Rather than naming his target, Perez narrowed the field by publicly ruling out four high-profile players. “Olise is a great player but it’s not Olise. It’s not Doku either,” he said. He also confirmed the target is not Erling Haaland and is not currently playing in the Premier League — which eliminates Harry Kane as well.

Perez was specific about the profile he is seeking. “He needs to be a player from midfield who can go forward,” he said. “The first thing we’ll do is talk to the club. It’s a signing meant to generate excitement because that’s what it’s all about, generating excitement.”

Among the candidates who fit the remaining criteria, Ousmane Dembélé stands out. The Paris Saint-Germain forward was decisive in this season’s Champions League, scoring against Liverpool in the knockout rounds and converting a penalty in the final against Arsenal. He would not be the first former Barcelona player to move to the Bernabéu, and his current form places him among Europe’s most dangerous attackers.

Jamal Musiala is another name that aligns with Perez’s description of a player capable of linking midfield and attack. The Bayern Munich playmaker missed a significant portion of the season through injury but had previously established himself as one of the most gifted young talents in European football. Bayern’s status as a perennial Champions League contender also fits Perez’s description of the selling club.

Perez built his early presidential legacy on the Galáctico policy that brought global stars to Madrid in successive summers, a strategy that delivered mixed results on the pitch but cemented the club’s commercial standing worldwide. A record-breaking signing would represent a deliberate return to that approach at a moment when the club is under pressure to reassert itself at the top of European football.