New Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez will reportedly look to the Serie A to finalise his squad before the end of the summer transfer window, with Juventus’ Fernando Llorente and Lazio’s Lucas Biglia high on his wish list.

That’s according to Marca‘s Enrique Ortego, who claims the duo are being eyed as potential depth options, with Lucas Silva likely to leave Los Blancos on loan:

Rafa Benitez is more than satisfied with the squad that he has at his disposal and the hard work that his players have put in during a hectic pre-season. The Spaniard would, however, not be averse to strengthening his pack in two specific positions: a holding midfielder and a striker who is happy to live in the shadows of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale.

With Lucas Silva heading for the exit door, the coach is considering his transfer options. The profile of the desired midfielder is clearly defined: a tough-tackling anchorman.

A man whose attributes match is another Lucas, namely Lucas Biglia. The Argentine is sought after at the moment, with Manchester United also keen on acquiring his services. …

Fernando Llorente’s name is in the frame given Juventus are likely to end up selling the striker before 31st August and he has a completely different style to anyone in the current Real Madrid squad. The Basque marksman’s specific skillset means he could be an excellent complement to what is already available.

Of the two, Spanish fans are probably more familiar with Llorente, who once terrorised La Liga defences with Athletic Bilbao before moving to Juventus on a free transfer in 2013. The 30-year-old found some success during his first season in Turin, but Alvaro Morata took over the starting position last season.

With Mario Mandzukic and Simone Zaza joining the Bianconeri this summer, Juventus no longer have a need for another in-the-box striker, and Llorente is expected to leave the club in the near future.

El Rey Leon would provide Benitez with a new kind of striker who uses his power and size well to shield the ball and win aerial battles. No player in Serie A has found more success in the air over the past two seasons, per OptaPaolo, but Llorente is more than just a big man who can score the occasional goal.

The Spain international is an underrated technician capable of finding success in limited space, a powerful weapon when chasing a goal late against a team bent on defending. He scored just seven goals in Serie A last season, via WhoScored.com, but put up consistent numbers in the years previous.

Llorente would never start over Karim Benzema, but as an experienced bench option capable of filling in whenever he’s needed, he has value. That said, Los Blancos have the option to bring back Morata next summer―via the Independent‘s Adam Digby―and perhaps such a move would make more sense.

Biglia is another potential target, adding some bite to Benitez’s midfield and allowing Silva to leave the club on loan in search of regular minutes. The Argentina international has been linked with Manchester United, per beIN Sports’ Tancredi Palmeri, after a productive spell with Lazio.

Mateo Kovacic is expected to move to the Spanish capital, with Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini confirming the deal is all but done, via football writer Pete O’Rourke, but the Croatian is a more attacking option, whereas Biglia is a typical ball-winner who plays his best football at the base of midfield.

The 29-year-old spent several years playing in Belgium and has flown under the radar as a result, but he’s become a valued member of the Argentinian national team in the past couple of seasons. He’s not a flashy player, but he does his job and works hard in tracking the ball. He’s also become more physical since moving to Italy, although he still relies primarily on his vision.

Like Llorente, Biglia would serve as a backup in case of injuries, but with Casemiro returning from loan, it’s hard to see why Benitez would have a need for another holding midfielder. The 23-year-old may not have Biglia’s experience, but he flashed enough potential during his loan spell with FC Porto to at least warrant an extensive look.

Biglia is a solid player, but Real have plenty of depth in the centre of the pitch. It makes no sense to spend big on the Argentinian and would only hinder the development of both Casemiro and Silva.

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