Real Madrid: Is Dayot Upamecano a realistic option?

Real Madrid don’t need to sign a center back in the 2020 summer transfer window, but if they were to make a deal, Dayot Upamecano is one of the few names worth pursuing.

After missing the majority of the 2018-2019 campaign due to injury, RB Leipzig center back Dayot Upemcano came roaring back in 2019-2020. He was arguably the best center back in the Bundesliga from start to finish, and his displays have earned him interest from Europe’s top clubs, including Real Madrid.

Upamecano will most likely depart Leipzig in the transfer window, as he carries a 58 million euro release clause. Before the novel coronavirus hit, Upamecano would have easily been worth that amount of money, but now, teams could potentially even lower that release clause.

Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich are seen as the three most likely teams to land the Leipzig star, and Tomás Roncero of AS reported earlier this month that Zinedine Zidane has been making a push to sign him. I’m not sure how much I buy the idea that Zidane has given up on Eder Militao after the center back’s encouraging first season in Madrid, but I do buy the interest in Upamecano, given his traits.

Upamecano is an intelligent defender who reads the game well, is rarely beat on the ground or off the dribbler, and is one of the absolute best center backs in the world at carrying and distributing the ball. He could be a great heir to Sergio Ramos, whom he admires greatly.

While Upamecano is a brilliant young defender who is affordable and would be one of the few defensive options worth pursuing from Real’s perspective, it sounds like Los Blancos won’t be able to sign him. It’s rare for Real to lose out on the race to sign a player, but it looks like Bayern Munich, who desperately need to sign top young stars in 2020, will beat them to the punch.

Upamecano reportedly has an agreement in principle with Bayern, and it seems like location is the deciding factor here. Even though Arsenal are in hot pursuit and Barcelona and Real Madrid are bigger clubs, Upamecano would prefer to stay in the Bundesliga. And there’s no bigger club in the league than Bayern, despite Leipzig’s recent form.

That said, nothing is official, and no big outlets are reporting that Upamecano and Bayern are even close. In reading the tea leaves, a deal between both parties would make a ton of sense, and Upamecano would be a major upgrade at center back for a team that has had issues with injuries at the position.

Real Madrid fans can’t see Upamecano as a realistic option, since he’d start at a club like Bayern and Arsenal but wouldn’t get sufficient playing time behind Ramos and Raphael Varane at the Bernabeu. He’s too good to sit on the bench, as Leipzig know. Los Blancos may still try to pursue him, but there are better fits for the player, if we’re being honest here.