The transfer market is at its most exciting in years after Neymar Jr. record moves to Paris Saint-Germaine for the cool price of $260 million. Most of the top clubs are very active as they seek to improve performance. However, Barcelona seems docile in this regard as the club seems content with what it has.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, has been more alert than its rival in the transfer market, and that could be the slight difference it needs to win the La Liga trophy and possibly the Champions League.

It would seem as if losing Neymar Jr. left Camp Nou confused as to what the club should do next.

Real Madrid has improved its midfield

Usually, Barcelona is the team known for having the best midfield attack in Spain and even the world. This has been the case for a number of years, but this title might soon fall to Real Madrid. You see, ever since the days of Jose Mourinho as the manager of Real Madrid, the club has been attempting to improve its midfield significantly.

Back then, Barcelona had Xavi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets commanding midfield play, and there wasn’t much of anything Real Madrid could have done.

Nonetheless, Mourinho’s men defeat Barcelona to win the 2011 Copa del Rey final.

The victory wasn’t lasting since Barcelona stopped Real in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.

Now, Real Madrid did manage to claim the 2011-2012 La Liga, but that is due in large part to its impressive counter attack rather than its strength in midfield. It didn’t take long for Mourinho to acquire the services of Luka Modric in a bid to add creativity to the midfield.

The team didn’t win the 2012-2013 season, but purchasing Luka Modric was a step in the right direction.

Still, Barca was going strong with Xavi who was still a central member of the squad with Cesc Fabregas in the background as a potential replacement.

Thiago Alcantara was waiting as well, but he left due to spending too much time on the bench.

Fabregas left in 2014 for Chelsea, and that’s where Real Madrid began to up the ante. The club grabbed Toni Kroos in 2014, and from there, management has been slowly adding new players to add more creativity to the midfield.

Xavi Alonso is not happy with Barcelona’s energy

Earlier this summer, Xavi said in a statement that Barcelona is not taking advantage of the transfer market. He says the club has fallen asleep, and as such, Real Madrid has benefited from that.

He went on to add that several players with the talent and play style Barcelona is looking for, are now playing for Real Madrid. Additionally, he said Camp Nou is not working with the youth system as it should.

The transfer market is still open, which means Camp Nou could add several new talents in quick succession. Still, Real Madrid is looking as if it could win La Liga back-to-back.