A lot has already happened since Barcelona won their second consecutive La Liga title. The defending Spanish top-flight champions have made one big-splash signing and let go of some of their deadwood, while their main rivals – Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid – have been quite busy revamping their squads in the past few weeks amid the World Cup.
On the coaching front. Hansi Flick signed a well-deserved contract extension last May that keeps him at Barcelona until 2028, so he’ll remain with a huge target on his back, per the La Liga 2026 odds. Diego Simeone doesn’t plan to leave Atletico Madrid anytime soon, although his contract runs up until next year. Real Madrid have brought back Jose Mourinho for his second stint with Los Blancos after parting ways with Alvaro Arbeloa.
Just in case you missed it, fret not, as SBOTOP has you covered with the latest La Liga 2026 updates.
Atletico Madrid are loading up
Atletico Madrid finished fourth for the second time in the past three seasons, which probably made them realise that they still have a long way to go before breaking up the Barcelona-Real Madrid duopoly in La Liga. With that said, Diego Simeone’s side has been among the busiest teams this summer transfer window.
With Clement Lenglet and Antoine Griezmann leaving for Benfica (on loan) and Orlando City, respectively, Los Rojiblancos were compelled to add depth to their defence and offence, and they did just that.
First, they paid Bayer Leverkusen roughly €22 million for Alex Grimaldo, a key member of Die Werkself’s Bundesliga-winning squad back in 2024. Grimaldo, who scored 30 goals and set up 45 more in 145 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen, can play as a wing-back and midfielder.
Next up, they paid PSG €40 million for Lee Kang-In, who has scored 16 goals in 124 appearances for the Ligue 1 champions. The South Korean international can play as a forward and attacking midfielder, similar to Griezmann. Los Rojiblancos also strengthened their midfield with the €45 million addition of Morten Hjulmand, who has registered 10 goals and 12 assists in 141 appearances for Sporting.
But despite their recent additions, Atletico Madrid’s job is far from finished. They still have to make sure that Julian Alvarez remains committed to them, despite unwanted advances from Barcelona.
Barcelona continue to look for reinforcements up front
Barcelona boasted La Liga’s best offence last season, with 95 league goals. However, they plan to double down on it this summer since they’ve let go of Robert Lewandowski, who’s headed to the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer on a free transfer.
The Blaugrana also have a hole on the left wing since Marcus Rashford has returned to Manchester United following his loan, and they poached Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for roughly €80 million. Barcelona remain open to bringing Rashford back, but only for another loan. On the other hand, they sold Ansu Fati to AS Monaco for €11 million, and they are also interested in Borussia Dortmund winger Karim Adeyemi
With Ferran Torres as their only recognisable No. 9, Barcelona are keen to add another high-profile striker. As noted, they have Julian Alvarez in their sights, with Lamine Yamal pleading for him to join. However, Atletico Madrid are adamant they don’t have plans to offload the Argentine striker.
Vedat Muriqi has been floated as a cheaper (and older) alternative. The 32-year-old centre-forward finished second behind Kylian Mbappe for the Pichichi award with 23 league goals. Despite this, Barcelona have yet to register interest in him.
Besides loading up in the final third, Barcelona are also reportedly keen on signing another centre-back.
Mourinho is pulling the strings for Real Madrid
Real Madrid seem to be going all in on Jose Mourinho’s project, having completed four marquee signings already this summer. Los Blancos just added Ibrahima Konate and Bernardo Silva on free transfers and paid €75 million combined to pry Marc Cucurella and Denzel Dumfries away from Chelsea and Inter Milan. In return, Real Madrid released Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, and Dani Ceballos while selling Fran Garcia to Real Betis for only €4 million.
Cucurella’s arrival would mean fewer minutes for Alvaro Carreras at the starting left-back position. Silva adds creativity to their midfield, while Dumfries and Konate bring some much-needed depth at the back.
Moreover, Aurelien Tchouameni just signed a new deal to stay in Madrid until 2031. The French midfielder was linked to a move to Manchester United, but as it turns out, Tchouameni used them as a stalking horse to secure the bag.
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