When Real Madrid beat Getafe in their La Liga opener on Sunday, they did so in front of just 48,466 fans.

It was a reminder that even if Florentino Perez and many football purists are happy to bid farewell to the 'Galactico' era, a half-full Bernabeu was not.

Following the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus earlier this summer, the question remains of who will fill the void.

Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema are being asked to step up - and the former got himself on the scoresheet against Getafe - but the supporters are demanding more than just a rejuventation of the existing squad.

Spanish company Full On Net recently conducted some research, as reported by Marca, that suggested 82.73% of Real fans want a marquee signing to replace Ronaldo.

Fewer than 5% think the squad is already strong enough as it is. So, they're going to be very disappointed.

Marca also have it that the European champions want their current players to take responsibility - including youngsters like Vinícius Júnior and Marco Asensio - and they will only change their stance if Neymar becomes available.

What about their other targets? 

They believe only the Brazilian is truly capable of improving their squad.

The board have €300million at the ready but they are not convinced by any of the other high-profile targets they have previously considered.

Madrid were not willing to Chelsea's €120m asking price for Eden Hazard. Likewise, they do not believe Harry Kane is worth the €200m it would cost to lure him from Tottenham; what is more, they are still reluctant to sign English players.

Robert Lewandowski, 30, is viewed as too old, while Mauro Icardi's entourage threatened to make a deal too complicated.

On the one hand, it's admirable that Real are not going to throw money at players they don't believe represent real value.

Indeed, they may still be waiting for an update on Paris Saint-Germain's Financial Fair Play situation. In the coming days, the Ligue 1 club will have to decide if they will sign Kylian Mbappe permanently, and the fact they are being pursued by UEFA suggests they may have to cash in on a star player.

That means Neymar could fall into Madrid's hands.

If a marquee signing does not arrive, however, Real will have to answer to their fans. 

Should Real Madrid sign Neymar? Have your say in the comments.