6 days ago
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William Saliba on radar
©TM/IMAGO
Real Madrid have invested heavily to improve their defensive ranks this summer but another centre-back might still be required. The Spanish giants’ defensive deficiencies were badly exposed last season with their squad unbalanced and they’ve addressed that with three new arrivals. Madrid have added two new full-backs in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Álvaro Carreras, with Los Blancos also winning the race for coveted centre-back Dean Huijsen. The Spanish international is widely regarded as one of the best centre-back talents in the world but Madrid could still re-enter the market to complement Huijsen’s arrival.
Xabi Alonso deployed his preferred 3-5-2 formation during the Club World Cup and his tactical approach requires more depth at centre-back, and Madrid lack that. While the LaLiga club currently have five senior centre-backs on their books, there’s legitimate doubts over several players. David Alaba and Éder Militão have been plagued by injuries with both playing just 31 games over the last two seasons and there’s question marks over whether Raúl Asencio is of the required quality - the Spanish international also faces serious off-field allegations. Therefore, we’ve analysed four potential centre-back targets with speculation suggesting Madrid will target one more arrival this summer.
Four Real Madrid centre-back targets
William Saliba is viewed as Madrid’s dream centre-back target but it will be near impossible to extract him from Arsenal this summer. The French international has stated his desire to remain in North London next season but there’s been no agreement over a contract extension with his current deal expiring in 2027. Moreover, Spanish outlet Marca have reported that Saliba is ‘ready to make a financial effort in order to join Madrid’. Despite the speculation, the 24-year-old is expected to remain at Arsenal this summer and it would require an astronomical sale for Mikel Arteta’s men to sell. Madrid are more likely to hope Saliba runs his contract down into the last twelve months before making their move.
There’s been lingering reports that Madrid will move for Ibrahima Konaté this summer. The 26-year-old’s contract at Anfield expires next summer and Liverpool face a serious dilemma over whether to cash in. There’s been talks over a new contract but there’s been no breakthrough and Anfield chiefs risk losing him on a free - which they will be keen to avoid after Alexander-Arnold. The French international is one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and his current valuation on Transfermarkt is €60m. But Liverpool would struggle to recoup such a fee for Konate and Madrid would be unwilling to offer such an amount with speculation they’d be happy to offer around €30m.
Madrid have been strongly linked with a move for Piero Hincapié this summer but Transfermarkt understands that reports of a €60m release clause aren't accurate. Moreover, Erik ten Hag has stated that Bayer Leverkusen are determined not to lose any more influential players this summer after the departures of Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong. Hincapie is highly-rated by Leverkusen and he’s already amassed over 150 top five league games at just 23 years old after moving to the Bundesliga in 2021 from CA Talleres for just €6.35m. The Ecuador international is left-footed and one issue over his potential signing is that his preferred role would be the same as Huijsen in the left centre-back role.
António Silva represents a more affordable option than the aforementioned options and it was reported earlier this summer that Benfica would accept an offer of around €35m. Madrid historically have a good relationship with the Portuguese club, although that was strained slightly by complications over the Carreras deal. The 21-year-old has experienced some troubling moments over the last year but he remains an immense prospect with 17 Portugal caps to his name already. Silva would be an affordable option with massive potential and he’s one to keep an eye on, especially if top targets are unattainable.
