Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid, is a businessman with very clear ideas. He demonstrated this during the winter transfer window when he left the team without reinforcements because he did not want to invest large sums of money in signings that could be obtained more cheaply or without a transfer fee later on. This is a roadmap that he has followed on several occasions in recent transfer windows and one that he intends to continue applying.
Real Madrid’s priority
After a lackluster season in which to learn from mistakes and work towards a brighter future, Real Madrid has a clear list of priorities for the transfer market. Much of the effort will be focused on strengthening a defense that has been a real headache this season.
This has been a headache for two main reasons: injuries and poor performance. Since the start of the season, the defense has been plagued by injuries. With Alaba still recovering from last season, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao were ruled out for the entire season. Alaba returned, but was soon sidelined again, with Rüdiger struggling with a knee injury. With a few setbacks, everyone except Asencio has been in the infirmary, but now that the crucial Clásico is approaching, Alaba, Rüdiger, Mendy, and Camavinga, who has occasionally played in defense, are out of action. The injury situation has been partly responsible for the poor performance of a defense that has been a sieve, seriously damaging Real Madrid throughout the season.
Given this situation, it is normal for Real Madrid to change its initial idea of making do with what it has and to scout the market in search of a center back. Many names have been mentioned, but in recent weeks, one name has been mentioned frequently that would fit Florentino’s roadmap, as he would arrive on a free transfer after his contract expires. We are talking about Jonathan Tah, who would arrive from Bayer Leverkusen thanks to Xabi Alonso.
Although the 1.95-meter-tall center back has gained momentum, there are other players on the list. One of the names that has been mentioned most often is Dean Huijsen, who has regained prominence in recent hours, and two players who are Florentino’s favorites, but for whom he does not want to invest up to three figures at the moment and prefers to put together a longer-term plan for them.
Two signings at no cost
We are talking about Ibrahima Konaté and William Saliba. According to the newspaper MARCA, Florentino Pérez is interested in signing both players. However, as we said, he wants both center backs as free agents, so he prefers to wait to finalize their signings. The former, who plays for Liverpool, has a contract that expires in 2026, while the latter, who plays for Arsenal, has a contract that expires in 2027.