real Madrid4-0 defeat barcelona This situation has led to some soul-searching at the Santiago Bernabeu and there are many deficiencies in the team that need to be addressed.

Inside La LigaMadrid is 6 points behind arch-rivals Barcelona. They are eight points behind in both La Liga and the league. Champions League more than they were at this stage last season.

More worryingly, they have scored the same number of goals as then (29) but conceded four more of the 11 they allowed at this time last year. Club expected more after attack Kylian Mbappe He joined Vinicius Junior in the capital, but defense became his main concern.

Nowhere was the start of the centre-back partnership more evident than in the Clasico. Eder Militao And Antonio Rüdiger completely broken into pieces Marc Casado to go past Robert Lewandowski‘s first effort.

Both could only watch as the unnamed Polish striker put Barca 2-0 ahead.

(Diego Souto/Getty Images)

Militao and Rudiger are Madrid’s two senior centre-backs. Jesus VallejoA name that is not in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans. And for the first time, general manager Jose Angel Sanchez and Ancelotti agree that the signings should be made in January. At that time, the last time they brought one was in 2019; Brazilian midfielder Reinier joined from Flamengo for €30 million (£25.1 million; $32.5 million).

So what options do they have in the squad in the short term, who are they targeting and will they sign any players mid-season? As always, everything depends on President Florentino Perez…

Madrid’s defensive weakness stems from a summer in which they failed to gain the desired place in the transfer market.

Los Blancos could not sign Leny Yoro going to Lille Manchester United Instead, promising defender Rafa Marin for €62 million to start. Naples and captain Nacho choosing not to renew the contract and move to Al Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League.

Madrid chose not to transfer anyone to replace him. Then in August, academy prospect Joan Martinez suffered a serious knee injury after touring with the first team and it looked as if he could make a permanent move into Ancelotti’s squad. Jacobo RamónAnother highly-rated centre-back in the club’s reserve team is also struggling with a series of muscle injuries.

Even worse, right back Dani Carvajal – who was playing as a centre-back – suffered a season-ending knee injury at the beginning of October. This left Ancelotti with only one right-back. Lucas Vazquez (We have also written about pursuing Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, among other targets in this position.).

Carvajal suffered a nasty knee injury against Villarreal (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

However, Madrid’s real problems are at centre-back. Militao was sidelined for almost eight months last season with a serious knee injury and has missed the first two international breaks this season with muscle problems.

Rudiger is the only other elite defender available. David Alaba‘s return continues to be delayed following his knee injury last December. The idea is to try to gradually ease him back into training this December.

Ancelotti’s team are concerned that Militao will not be able to focus on the field, but they accept that both he and Rudiger are tired. And there are few alternatives. Germany The defender even agreed not to be called up to the national team in September to recover from a busy start to the season.

One of the options in the squad Aurelian TchouameniThe midfielder has played 12 games at centre-back since joining Madrid in 2022. However, the Frenchman has said publicly and privately that he prefers to play in his natural position, and he is also struggling with problems with his left foot after a number of injuries. There.

Making a signing in January seems like the obvious solution, but in practice it’s not that simple and the board is yet to take any serious action. Here’s who they think of in central defense…

Vitor Reis (18 years old, Palmeiras)

Reis is a young player who is highly rated by Madrid, plays in Brazil’s youth teams and has a release clause of 100 million Euros. Palmeiras do not plan to sell Reis until after the FIFA Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States from June to July next year.

Scouts think he has a profile similar to Paris Saint-Germain’s Marquinhos Even Madrid’s centre-back Militao is a positive development and shows that he can adapt very well to Madrid’s style of play.

(Masashi Hara – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

He made 17 appearances for the Palmeiras A Team (15 as a starter) and scored two goals. He also captains the Brazil Under-17 team, which won the South American Championship in that age group in 2023.

In the summer he extended his contract with Palmeiras until 2028.

Castello Lukeba (21 years old, RB Leipzig)

Madrid have compiled positive reports about French defender Lukeba, who renewed his contract with RB Leipzig last week.

This renewal reduced his release clause to €90 million and changed parts of his previous contract to make it easier for all parties to leave the club in the summer – but not in the January window.

Lukeba, who made an impressive impression in Lyon, was transferred to Leipzig in the summer of 2023. Despite interest from various sides in Europe, Lukeba’s plan was to take an interim step to further develop his potential before another big move. This seems inevitable in the summer months and is already gaining traction. Premier League clubs.

(Hesham Elşerif/Anadolu via Getty Images)

He made his debut for France in October 2023 and won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics last summer as one of Thierry Henry’s regulars. He is very fast, likes to compete one-on-one, and thanks to his composure and touch, he makes good runs with the ball.

Another thing that makes him attractive for clubs is that he is left-footed. A profile that Madrid are particularly interested in as we wait to see how Alaba returns from injury.

Many people in Madrid, including the board and Ancelotti, are Laporte fans and his name was mentioned last month.

Laporte joined Saudi team Al Nassr in 2023. Manchester City He has a contract until 2026 for 27.5 million Euros, but the defender stated this publicly: In his interview with AS – and said that he was not as comfortable in his private life as he had imagined in Saudi Arabia.

However, Madrid has not taken any action yet. There were internal discussions at Madrid about the possibility of signing Laporte in the summer, but this proved to be financially complicated and no pressure was made for him. A move made at that time would also have major financial consequences for the player.

Madrid will never reach his net salary at Al Nassr; This is understood to be up to €24 million per year, according to club sources who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their jobs as this would not be in line with the club’s wage structure. Even if he had agreed to take the deduction, moving to Spain in the summer would have had major tax implications for him. because he had been away from Saudi Arabia for too long in the first half of the year. He would also have to pay a high tax in Spain on the earnings he made in Saudi Arabia in the first half of the year. If he were to move at the beginning of 2025, he would not be taxed in Spain on the previous months’ earnings.

But there are other obstacles as well. Al Nassr paid €27.5 million for Laporte and it is understood they will want to recoup most, if not all, of it if he leaves before his contract expires. Also, since Laporte is 30 years old, Madrid will only offer him a short-term contract as per their general policy. This makes the club a less attractive proposition for him.

Laporte could deliver immediately at Madrid, offering experience and left-wing protection, but for any move to happen, Madrid would need to meet Al Nassr’s demands and significantly lower their financial expectations.

There are rumors linking Madrid with Bayer Leverkusen and the German defender.

Tah fits the club’s transfer policy because his contract expires in June and he will be one of the market opportunities they are always looking for at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, Madrid did not make a move on his behalf at this point. Given Tah is highly rated by Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick, with whom he also shares managership (Pini Zahavi, who is also close to Barcelona president Joan Laporta), the Catalan club may be a more likely target.

(Photos: Getty Images)