During the summer, Real Madrid parted ways with Nacho Fernandez (end of contract) and Rafa Marin (permanent transfer to Napoli). Despite losing two first team players, the club opted not to go all-out on replacements, and this has meant that Carlo Ancelotti only has Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao as natural centre-back options – Jesus Vallejo is also there, but he is not counted on.
Real Madrid did try to sign someone, but they weren’t willing to pull out all of the stops. The player that they wanted was Aymeric Laporte, who was off the back of playing a pivotal role in Spain’s Euro 2024 success.
However, a deal would only have had happened if Real Madrid could sign Laporte for free. Al-Nassr opted against releasing him from his contract, which is why he has remained in Saudi Arabia. Despite this, Diario AS say that Los Blancos still have him on their shortlist as a possible signing in 2025.
The expectation is that Real Madrid will go for a new centre-back as early as January, with a left-sided option being the preference. Laporte fits the bill, although there are reservations about the value of signing him, given the financial outlay.
