According to reports from Gazzetta, several major football clubs have already begun reinforcing their squads in anticipation of the upcoming Club World Cup tournament set to take place in America. Xabi Alonso, confirmed to lead Real Madrid`s campaign in the USA, successfully insisted on immediate player acquisitions. Real Madrid has responded by securing Alexander-Arnold and Huijsen and is actively working to finalise the transfer of Spanish left-back Carreras from Benfica. Furthermore, the club is pursuing the promising 2007-born prospect Mastantuono from River Plate. Although Mastantuono was expected to compete in the World Cup with River, a potential early move to Madrid is being discussed, a development that has reportedly put Nico Paz`s planned trip to America on hold for now.
Addressing potential squad availability issues due to contract expiries, Real Madrid has taken the step of specifically extending the contracts of experienced players Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez for an additional two weeks, ensuring their participation in the tournament. Atletico Madrid has made a similar move for Reinildo, who was also nearing the end of his contract.
Loan agreements also significantly impact squad composition for the competition. Juventus, for instance, is recalling Filip Kostic from Fenerbahce and Daniele Rugani from Ajax. The club is also finalising arrangements to bring Randal Kolo Muani to America and has secured Chico Conceição. However, they have decided against recalling Renato Veiga, who might instead join Chelsea`s squad for the tournament (Chelsea being a club known for having a large number of players currently out on loan across Europe). Juventus`s situation is illustrative of the challenges faced by many teams, as the tournament`s schedule extending beyond the traditional June 30th contract and loan expiry date into the new season creates numerous complex player availability scenarios.
Other prominent clubs are also active in bolstering their ranks. Inter Milan plans to include brothers Pio and Sebastiano Esposito in their squad traveling to America, alongside the recently recovered Valentin Carboni. They will also integrate new signings Luis Henrique and Sucic. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich has brought in Jonathan Tah and Robert Bischof. Reports indicate that Hoffenheim is requesting an additional fee for Bischof`s participation in the tournament, similar to the agreement Bayer Leverkusen had for the release of Tah. Chelsea has reportedly completed deals for players including Essugo, Andrey Santos, and Delap.