Germany midfielder Toni Kroos looks set to finish the World Cup as a Real Madrid player having said that he has "made a decision", adding that "it's not hard to find out" his destination after deciding to leave Bundesliga Champions Bayern Munich. Kroos, 24, will not make any announcements on his future until the end of his involvement in Brazil, whether that be Saturday's third-place playoff or the Final on the following night but after interest from Manchester United and Chelsea never materialised into anything more concrete, the Spanish capital looks to be Kroos' new home as Real look to mount a challenge to take back the La Liga title from neighbours Atlético.
With Xabi Alonso starting an age-related decline and Angel di Maria supposedly having his attention drawn away from the Bernabéu, Carlo Ancelotti has decided Kroos is the man to fill the hole in his star-studded midfield, and Marca have gone as far as to say that a £19.9million deal has already been agreed. His compatriot Sami Khedira is frequently linked with a move away from Madrid and Asier Illaramendi is likely to be given out on loan, so some bolstering of the centre would not go amiss despite the effortless brilliance of Luka Modrić. Although they finally secured the much obsessed-over La Decima at the end of the season, Madrid can not afford to be complacent in the transfer market and the acquisition of Kroos from a major European rival will be a real statement of intent.
Legendary German midfielder Lothar Matthäus has heaped praise onto the young midfielder, calling him a "genius" and revelling in his ability to "pass the ball brilliantly and... shoot hard and well". Matthäus also spoke of Kroos' ability to bring the best out of Madrid's biggest galacticos Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, seeing him playing in between the two stars between forward Karim Benzema. The former World Cup winner points to the effect Kroos has had in recent years in helping Bayern wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery to "expand", and the prospect of Bale and Ronaldo becoming even better is a frightening one. Kroos himself is believed to be frustrated with the more defensive role he had been given in Munich by Pep Guardiola, so fans of Los Merengues should expect to see him taking up further attacking duties should a few minor details be "ironed out", according to Marca.