Real Madridhave not enjoyed enormous success in the transfer market this summer. While they have managed to loan out some of their younger talents and sell back-ups Denis Cheryshev and Alvaro Medran, incoming deals have been restricted to just Alvaro Morata, who returned from Juventus on a buy-back deal.Even his future is not 100 per cent clear, with Chelseareportedlyconsidering a third bid for the striker in the event Diego Costa moves on, pertheExpress.Over the past two weeks, Real have seen two key targets slip from their grasp: N'Golo Kantewho was on top of Zinedine Zidane's wishlist, according toMarcawent to Chelsea, and Andre Gomes performed a sudden and shocking switch to arch rivals Barcelona, after Real had tracked him all summer.Improving a squad that has just been crowned champions of Europe isn't easy, but Zidane does need reinforcements. It seems clear from the two attempted deals that midfield remains a priority area for the French managerso here are four considerations as alternative options between now and the closing of the transfer window.Star quality: Paul PogbaIt doesn't take much imagination to figure that Real's longstanding interest in Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba might ramp up a notch pretty soon.Aside from the French international's astonishing technical and physical traits, his standing as a big player on the world stage naturally appeals to a club that attempts to convey the same status and prestige.A 110 million move to Manchester United has been widely reported over the past few days, includingby theDailyMail, so Real Madrid would have to get a move on to snare their man. But hope is not lost.Football 365citereports in Spain suggesting Pogba prefers Real to United and is hoping Zidane and Florentino Perez come in with a late bid.Real Madrid might be champions of Europe, but several key competitorshave already improved this summer based on deals so far, includingBayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid.This could easily be the most competitive campaign in Europe for some time, and while adding Pogba to their ranks would boost Real's quality, it would also lessen the chances of a rival becoming better.If the Frenchman signed, it wouldn't be a question ofwhere he would fit, but how to build the team around him for the better part of the next decade.Gomes, but with consistency: Marco AsensioThe Gomes chase was a bizarre one from Real's point of viewand the Portuguese midfielder going on to sign for Barcelona was odder still.Gomes is not a first-choice player on the international stage or evenconsistent enough to hold down a single role or position at the club level in Spain. He's unproductive in the final third, given the range of his ability, and at 22 years of age, he's clearly a level below the players he would battling for spots with at the Santiago Bernabeuor the Camp Nou. All told, 70 million is a mighty gamble to take.It would have been an especially big roll of the dice from Real's point of view, as they already have a younger prospect who is already more effective in place.Marco Asensio is probably set for another loan spell in 2016-17, but positionally, he fills roles similar to Gomes': left side of the attack, the No. 10 spot and a central role, though it's not his best. The two share technical traits as well, with a fine first touch, the ability to run at defenders and pick a pass moving toward the box and a habit of slowing play down to allow on-running midfielders to join the attack.But in 2015-16, Asensio outstripped Gomes in almost every key metric for an attacking midfielder, and showed tremendous consistency for a 20-year-old.PlayerMinutesGoalsAssistsShotsKey PassesDribblesBad controlDispossessedAsensio28334101.82.01.61.81.8Gomes2381331.40.91.72.02.5Instead of spending upwards of an initial 35 million and potentially doubling it, shouldn't Real's focus be on developing the immense talent already at their disposal' After all, the idea was thatGomeswould not be in the first XI anyway, according toMarca. Of course, that wasafter he opted to sign for their rivals.Action stats are per game and viaWhoScored.com.Kante alternate: Idrissa GueyeN'Golo Kante won the Premier League last term with Leicester City and has now joined Chelsea under new boss Antonio Conte.His all-action style and enormous capacity to win back possession made him one of the most effective midfielders in Europe in 2015-16.Real Madrid, of course, have Casemiro in place as the holding midfielderbut Kante doesn't merely sit deep as he did for France. He's a second man in the middle when needed, rampaging out of the line to win back the ball and surging forward to get his team on the front foot quickly.In other words, he's perhaps as stylistically different fromGomes as it's possible to be without being a goalkeeper.Finding another version isn't easy, but one who stacks up to Kante's output is relegated midfielder Idrissa Gueye, who is down in the Championship with Aston Villa at present. It sounds absurd that Real might opt for a player who has been relegated, but the Senegalese destroyer was one of the few bright spots for his team last term and came close to matching Kante for his defensive work.In Europe's top five leagues, Kanteled in both tackles (4.7)and interceptions (4.2) per game last season.Gueyeranked second in England for both stats (4.1 tackles, 4.0 interceptions, perWhoScored.com), while only Grzegorz Krychowiak made more interceptions per game than Gueyeamong the rest of Europe's midfielders.The all-rounder: Johannes GeisFinally, to break the mould and compromise on all values, Real could always go for someone who fits almost all the criteria: young enough to not be an immediate first choice, good enough to contribute this season and beyond and able to cover Casemiro as a holder but also contribute going forward.Schalke's Johannes Geis ticks the boxes and isn't likely to remain at the Bundesliga club for much more than another year or so, with his range of attributes encompassing and suiting all roles and systems in the centre of midfield.As a lone holder against some of the smaller sides in the league, he'd offer respite to Casemiro, while his fantastic passing range, set-piece delivery and aggression in winning back possession make him an excitingly Luka Modric-esque midfielder for the future.Marcareportthat Real Madrid will only "buy players that make a difference" to the team this summer. Any of the four above would be a positive addition to Real's squad, and one or two of them might just help them retain the Champions League trophy or take back the title in La Liga.Follow @karlmatchettRead more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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