How Many Marquee Signings Should Real Madrid Make in Summer 2015?

There are three key questions to be answered when it comes to what Real Madrid will do in the transfer market this summer.

How many marquee signings should they make? How many marquee signings will they make? And how many other, sensible signings will they make?

Defining a "marquee signing" is difficult. Danilo, for example, has already agreed to join the club from Porto this summer for €31.5 million. That is a lot of money, but he isn't a big name. The right-back, 23, is a good player and potentially an excellent one, but he's not someone who will draw a huge crowd to the Santiago Bernabeu when he is presented.

President Florentino Perez will be anxious to strike back after a bad season in which Real Madrid failed in La Liga, the Champions League and in the Copa del Rey; a season in which they only beat rivals Atletico Madrid once in eight games.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

The only road Perez knows is paved in gold. This is a man who broke the world transfer record not once, not twice, but five times. Perez stumped up £37 million to bring Luis Figo to Real Madrid from Barcelona in 2000.

Then the following year, he brought in Zinedine Zidane for £46.6 million, breaking his own record. Kaka followed in his second term as president in 2009, costing £56 million.

Then it was Cristiano Ronaldo, also in 2009, for whom Real Madrid shelled out £80 million. And finally, in 2013, Perez made Gareth Bale the world's most expensive player, costing the club £85.3 million.

This summer he is not expected to break that record, but you can bet your bottom dollar that Perez will be looking to splash the cash.

The first marquee signing already seems on the brink of completion: Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea. He will bring the fans out in their droves to the Bernabeu, some who are delighted because they finally have a realistic replacement for Iker Casillas, some because Madrid have stolen what was formerly an Atletico jewel and some simply because De Gea is one of the best goalkeepers in the business.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

De Gea is both a marquee signing and a sensible one. Madrid need a new goalkeeper, and the Spaniard can be their man between the sticks for the next decade. Keylor Navas has not had much of a chance but has been viewed as a backup since signing last summer. He made a mistake on Sunday that cost Madrid a goal in their 4-1 win at Espanyol.

According to Sport, Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal seems resigned to losing his stopper. "We won't let him leave easily, but De Gea has the chance to go to a great Spanish club," said the Dutchman.

So with the keeper seemingly in the bag and the right-back slot sewn up, where else do Real Madrid need to bring in a big player or two?

The defence seems fine, as long as Raphael Varane gets to continue developing, and perhaps they could do with a new understudy for Marcelo, with Fabio Coentrao potentially heading for the exit.

There is plenty of attacking threat from midfield, but what they could really do with is a destroyer. However, there aren't many on the market. The best two defensive midfielders in the world are Barcelona's Sergio Busquets and Chelsea's Nemanja Matic; Madrid won't be able to sign either.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Instead, they may turn their attention to Paul Pogba. The Juventus star is the most coveted player in the world right now, and if he can do Barcelona some damage in the Champions League final, he will appear even more attractive to Real Madrid.

Should Los Blancos sign Pogba? He probably wouldn't be the best bet for the position but would be exactly the sort of signing that Perez loves to make. PSG's Marco Verratti is also an option, but again, he might not be quite defensive enough.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Michael Regan/Getty Images

The one other area of the team that might benefit from a marquee signing is the front line. They are no longer the most dangerous strike force in the world, with that title heading across to archrivals Barcelona and the attack of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.

Madrid's attack isn't even the most glamorous in Spain, which will be another source of annoyance to Perez. The signing of Manchester City's Sergio Aguero would be a good way to remedy both problems. A Ronaldo-Aguero-Bale attack would bring both goals and glory.

Of course, that does a great injustice to Benzema, who has been wonderful for the last two seasons. Bale would be a better candidate to drop, but he will be kept in the first team until he is eventually sold. Whether that's this summer, next or never is unknown.