On Monday, August 4, Real Madrid returns to work in Valdebebas after a 24-day break following the Club World Cup and with a 15-day preseason ahead of their first La Liga match at the Santiago Bernabéu against Osasuna on Tuesday, August 19. There is little time and much to do for Xabi Alonso, who, among other things, will have to make decisions about the defense, where the center-back position raises many questions beyond Huijsen. That is why he has asked the club to explore the market, where the clear favorite is Ibrahima Konaté, who is expected to arrive for free next summer, although everything could be accelerated at the last minute.
A central problem at Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s defense, and more specifically the center-back position, has suffered throughout the season due to multiple injuries to the squad. Carlo Ancelotti was forced to use twelve different center-back pairings last season. The three he used most frequently were: Rüdiger – Asencio (16 times); Rüdiger – Militão (14 times) and Rüdiger – Tchouaméni (12 times).
Fearing a repeat of the injury plague and as part of the club’s plan to rejuvenate the squad, Dean Huijsen arrived this summer and took the position from the first minute. Despite his youth, he shows confidence at the heart of the defense, which, added to his great ball distribution, makes him the perfect center back for Xabi Alonso.
While the brand-new signing established himself at the World Cup, Asencio lost all the credit he had earned throughout the season. He joined the first team as an emergency measure and secured his place. However, three serious mistakes in the tournament in the United States mean that Xabi Alonso no longer trusts him and will relegate him to a secondary role.
With Alaba out of action for the long term and the club looking to offload him, Xabi Alonso’s two options to partner Huijsen are Eder Militao and Antonio Rüdiger. The former is the favorite, but in both cases there are concerns about their recovery from complicated knee injuries and how they will perform. In addition, the age and expiring contracts of the German and Alaba open the door to a move in the transfer market.
Konaté is the clear favorite
Two players have caught the eye in this market: William Saliba and Ibrahima Konaté. The former is impossible to sign due to his transfer fee and because he has already made it clear that he is about to sign a new contract with Arsenal, who consider him a key part of their project. In principle, the idea of the white team was to sign both, but with the former ruled out, all eyes are on the Liverpool player. He is a fast center back, strong in aerial duels, and with a great ability to lead the defense. The player seems determined to play for the white team, and the agreement is progressing. His contract with the English team expires next summer, and he has rejected the offer to renew.
The two options with Konaté
That, the fact that his contract is ending, is the key point in this story. A priori, with five center backs already on the roster, Real Madrid had both Saliba and Konaté in mind for next season. In the case of the Liverpool player, this is even more so given that the formula used with Trent and Mbappé would be repeated, with no transfer fee involved. The player is convinced he wants a change of scenery and has so far rejected all offers of renewal from the English club.
The thing is, Liverpool are well aware that they are going to lose the center back to Real Madrid and are considering a sale this summer. Initially, this is not the idea of the Whites, who have already spent a lot on defense, especially considering that the English team wants $50 million. However, Chamartín is considering how Eder Militao starts the season and, depending on what they see, they are not ruling out making a last-minute offer to Liverpool, who could be more receptive to lowering the price and letting the player go.