Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly informed Real Madrid that a condition for him becoming their manager is that they sign Tottenham center-back Cristian Romero in the summer. According to Defensa Central, the current USMNT boss also wants the club to acquire Al Duhail's 33-year-old Italian midfielder Marco Verratti as a low-cost option, to be signed alongside a major star like Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández, Adam Wharton, or Vitinha. Verratti has 55 caps for Italy, joined the Qatari club in July 2025, and has one goal and three assists in 10 Stars League appearances this season. His current market value is €7.00m, according to Transfermarkt.