Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho: We need another striker

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho: We need another striker

The Portuguese boss says he is happy with his squad, which is now in Los Angeles for a pre-season tour, but reveals he still hopes to bring in a forward ahead of the new campaign.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho says he is content with his squad after the summer arrivals of Nuri Sahin, Hamit Altintop, Fabio Coentrao, Raphael Varane and Jose Callejon, but believes the club still need to bring in a new striker ahead of the coming campaign.

Mourinho is currently away on a pre-season tour with Madrid in the United States, having recently returned from his holidays.

And the Portuguese coach told the club's official website: "I’m happy with the squad, especially when you think we’re still missing [Gonzalo] Higuain and [Angel] Di Maria [currently away with Argentina at the Copa America], who are very important to us.

"It’s fantastic to have more than 90 per cent of the team you want by mid-July because it allows you to work in a different manner."

Mourinho went on to say that Madrid are building a side both for the present and the future.

"It isn’t easy to sign for Real Madrid because we have a very good squad and we earned important results last season," he said.

"We won one title [the Copa del Rey] and nothing more. We have decided to improve on, and balance out, the squad without losing track of having to come up with a team for the future; Coentrao is 23 years old, one year younger than Callejon. Sahin is even younger and Varane is an 18-year-old kid.

"We never want to side-track from building a team for years to come that has large room for improvement and progress. We signed men we thought were important to improve on a squad that was already very good - this squad has 10 years ahead of it."

Nevertheless, Mourinho is keen to add a top striker to the side this summer.

"I, like everyone else, believe we need another striker," he said.

Madrid have been strongly tipped to sign Brazil forward Neymar in the current window, with Argentina strikers Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez also linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.