Real Madrid is entirely owned by the members who decide its president. Each must pay an annual fee of around £130 and around 100,000 of them will vote on Sunday.
After his first election in 2000, Pérez adopted a ‘Galacticos’ policy of signing expensive world-class players, including Luis Figo, David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane.
Real Madrid won two La Liga titles and one Champions League title before Pérez resigned in 2006 amid disappointing results.
In 2009, he again successfully ran for president unopposed and did so four times in his 17-year second term.
Real Madrid finished the 2025–26 season with no major trophy for the second consecutive season, trailing La Liga champions Barcelona by eight points.
As the season was about to end, Pérez called a press conference in which he criticized the club’s enemies and urged those unhappy with his leadership to run against him for the presidency.
Renewable energy veteran Riquelme stepped down, leaving Pérez to compete with another candidate to retain the role for the first time in 20 years.
On Wednesday, Perez promised voters he would launch a Galacticos-style transfer bid just days after he hopes to be re-elected.
“I have some news for you,” he told the Spanish TV show Horizonte.
“On Tuesday, I am going to make an offer to a major Champions League club for a great player. It will be the biggest transfer fee ever paid by Real Madrid in its history.”
Perez was asked about the identity of his target and the scale of the fee.
“Olise is a great player but this is not Olise,” Pérez said. “It’s not even Doku.
“We are going to make a significant offer, at least about 150 metres.
“He needs to have a player from midfield who can go forward. And it’s not Haaland.
“The player is not from the Premier League. And the first thing we will do is talk to the club.”
“It’s a signing to create excitement because that’s what it’s meant to create excitement.”
He also reminded voters that his re-election would activate already agreed deals for manager Jose Mourinho, Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate, whose contract at Liverpool will not be renewed.
