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Real Madrid have a rather depleted squad, and this has already been evident at the start of the season. In midfield, they have only two fit players: Federico Valverde and Luka Modric. In defence, the situation is much the same, with Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao as the only viable options at centre-back until David Alaba returns from his ACL injury, which may not happen until 2025.
Central defence has been a problem for Real Madrid since the start of last season. In 2023-24, Carlo Ancelotti only had Rudiger and Nacho Fernandez as options for the vast majority of the campaign, leading to Aurelien Tchouameni being called upon on several occasions. In the long term, it is something they will surely hope to avoid.
Real Madrid failed to sign Leny Yoro this summer, with the youngster deciding to join Manchester United. Surprisingly, no alternatives were sought, so it is very likely that the situation will be reassessed in 2025.
It will be interesting to see who will be the most sought after. A player who could be a long-term option would surely be the best solution, as Yoro would have been. While a new centre-back is needed anyway, it must be taken into account that Rudiger and Alaba are both in their thirties, and will therefore need to be replaced in the coming years.
William Saliba has been recently mentioned and it is obvious that he would be an excellent player for Real Madrid. He fits perfectly with the transfer policy: he is young, not yet fully established and has the possibility to become even better than he already is.
The only problem is that it would be very expensive. It has been reported that Arsenal would ask for more than €120 million, and if Real Madrid paid a little more, it would become their record transfer, surpassing Eden Hazard, who himself cost around €120 million.
If Real Madrid can afford to pay that amount and personal terms can be negotiated with Saliba, it won’t be a problem. He is already one of the best central defenders in the world and there is no doubt that he will stand on his own two feet in the coming years. Real Madrid’s directors will surely be aware of that.
Saliba is obviously more well-known than someone like Yoro, so it makes sense that he would be significantly more expensive. However, Real Madrid can certainly afford to sign him, given how little they spent this summer. Surely it would be worth spending that much?
