Sources both inside and outside Real Madrid believe the club needs to appoint a director of football following two consecutive trophy-less seasons, a structural shift that would fundamentally alter how the world's most valuable club operates.

Currently, recruitment decisions rest with general director Jose Angel Sanchez, chief scout Juni Calafat and ultimately president Florentino Perez, who functions as the final decision maker on all significant personnel matters.

While former Madrid player and manager Santiago Solari holds the director of football title, sources say he has wielded little meaningful authority since assuming the position in 2022, with his influence declining further in recent months.

Sources with close ties to the club and involvement in its internal processes say Madrid is actively considering bringing in a dedicated sporting specialist. However, well-placed figures within the club have directly denied those claims.

Those same club sources have also pushed back against reporting of an internal power struggle between two competing factions, one aligned with Sanchez and another with Anas Laghrari, a French-Moroccan external adviser who has become one of Perez's most trusted confidants. Sources close to Laghrari add that he has no interest in assuming Sanchez's position.

Nevertheless, a broader sense of institutional uncertainty persists. A training ground source described "confusion among the staff" last week because of "rumours that there are going to be a lot of changes," potentially touching the board, coaching staff, medical team, training personnel and playing squad.

Proposals for a new ownership structure that would allow outside investment into the club for the first time have shown no meaningful progress since Perez publicly raised the possibility in November.

The general feeling across the industry, sources told The Athletic, is that sweeping changes at every level of the organization cannot be ruled out.