At the Bernabéu Stadium's executive meeting, everyone could clearly see that Real Madrid's management and technical staff were still sticking to the strategy they had established in the past: continuing to make Real Madrid younger and more local.
It could be said that this was an improved version of the [Zidane and Pavon] policy.
For attacking reinforcements, Real Madrid most wanted Aguero. Although Lewandowski had performed exceptionally well at Dortmund, his chemistry with Yang Yang was still not reassuring enough. His advantage was that he was an all-around center forward.
Suarez's reputation was not quite big enough yet. Moreover, persuading Liverpool to let him go, given the current transfer market, would probably cost Real Madrid a fortune. On top of that, after biting someone in a league match during the second half of last season, the Uruguayan had been banned worldwide for ten games. That was another reason Real Madrid was wary of him.
As for his advantages, he was the cheapest candidate, and he was also Yang Yang's friend. That counted in his favor.
Cristiano Ronaldo was a far more controversial option. José Sánchez from the commercial department was very optimistic about him, believing that the Portuguese's arrival could further raise the team's commercial value. Valdano, however, worried that his arrival would affect unity in the dressing room. After all, Little Ronaldo was not the sort of player willing to play second fiddle.
If they spent over a hundred million on his transfer only for him to fall out with Yang Yang, or even cause a rift within the dressing room, it would be counterproductive. Therefore, the management was extremely cautious.
Ancelotti remained neutral. They all believed that Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival would certainly improve the team's overall strength, but they also could not be sure what would happen if