Real Madrid's plans for the January transfer window

Whilst Santiago Solari anxiously waits to discover if he will be handed the reins of the European champions on a permanent basis, plans are already being made for the January transfer window, with the aforementioned source claiming there could be significant movement in and out at the turn of the year.

First and foremost, 'Los Blancos' are understood to be very keen on a move for Espanyol centre-back Mario Hermoso, a player who actually came through the ranks with the 'Merengue' outfit.

The 23-year-old's strong and consistent displays have seen him rewarded with a call-up the Spain squad for their upcoming games, with his youth and versatility thought to be of serious interest to Real Madrid.

The spending isn't likely to stop there, either, with a central midfielder also on the agenda. Whilst Solari already has a wealth of options in that position, the club are thought to be keen to add another body to the mix to increase competition. Marcos Llorente doesn't appear to have Solari's trust, whilst Fede Valverde has not been afforded anything like the game time he would have been expecting this season, having played a total of just 80 minutes across two games.

With Casemiro not in his best run of form, the absence of competition for his role as the midfield anchor is more noticeable than ever, with it likely to be a player in that mould who is brought in.

Meanwhile, Llorente and Valverde could be depart the club on temporary deals, whilst there could be a more long-term move in the offing for Kiko Casilla, who is expected to depart permanently having dropped down the pecking order following the arrival of Thibaut Courtois in the summer.

More departures are possible, but they will largely depend on which areas Madrid themselves manage to strengthen, whilst Vinicius' form between now and January likely to be key in detemrining whether Madrid enter the market for a striker, with a move for Inter's Mauro Icardi expected to be made should the Brazilian fail to force his way into the first-team thinking at the Bernabeu.

Finally, the report insists that Rodrygo will no team up with the club until the summer, when he could be joined by the highly-rated Exequiel Palacios from River Plate.