Real Madrid Transfers: 5 possible replacements for Sergio Ramos after farewell

Jules Kounde (Sevilla)

The next name is of one of the biggest rising stars of LaLiga, Jules Kounde. The Sevilla centre-back has been one of the best in his position in the 2020/21 LaLiga season, and he has been among the top transfer targets for many top European clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur.

He has been playing at such a high level for the past two seasons, which can make a person wonder if he’s really just 22 years old. The French international is someone whom you could call a complete defender, with him being a perfect blend of footballing quality, intelligence, and aggression, the qualities we have seen in Sergio Ramos for 16 years. He would be a blessing for any club that gets him, and he can become an instant fan favourite given his passion and brilliance.

But it is to be seen if he can really be a feasible target for Real Madrid, as Sevilla are really a tough club to deal with, especially in the case of sales. Kounde, being one of Sevilla’s best players, has a release clause of 80 million euros, and the Andalusian club are adamant that a transfer is possible only if the release clause is triggered by the interested clubs. The same happened with Manchester City last season, whose offer fell short of Sevilla’s evaluation, with them eventually having to shift their focus onto Ruben Dias, whom they would sign later.

With Real Madrid focused more on a high-profile attacking signing like that of Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland, it does seem unlikely that Los Blancos would spend that much for a centre-back. Instead, it would be more feasible for the club to extend Varane’s contract, rather than spend so much for the young defender.

And with the usually reliable Jose Felix Diaz tweeting that there’s nothing between Real Madrid and Kounde, it does look like Real Madrid won’t go for him. Maybe Real Madrid are also keeping in mind the fact that Kounde plays in the same RCB position occupied by Eder Militao, but the lack of interest might be mainly due to financial reasons. But it would really be a surprise if Florentino Perez and Jose Angel Sanchez are uninterested in Kounde due to sporting reasons!