Real Madrid center backs have been making headlines this summer, even after two standouts were snubbed from the Spanish national team. Sergio Ramos has already been in the spotlight for officially bidding farewell to Los Blancos, and he is not the only big name in central defense who could be ready for a new challenge.
Raphael Varane has accomplished so much to this point in his career. At 28, Varane is a serial winner who is entering his prime. He is ready for a huge payday. The kind of payday Real Madrid can no longer afford to give to him. Beyond the pandemic’s ever-present influence, Real have given David Alaba a grand salary and still want to pinch every penny for Kylian Mbappe, who would truly transform this team’s chances.
So Varane essentially has one foot out the door with one year remaining on his contract. Real Madrid must sell in order to get anything out of one of the few assets they can sell for a transfer fee, given the likes of Marcelo and Gareth Bale have no real financial value to other clubs.
In an ideal world, yes, Real would find a way to avoid losing Varane and would cobble together a satisfying extension for the wonderful French international. Real, unfortunately, do not appear to be in a good position, with Varane potentially also wanting the lure of a new challenge in the Premier League.
Real Madrid cannot take the task of replacing Raphael Varane lightly
Replacing Varane is another matter. Real Madrid are not dry with options at center back, of course. Eder Militao played at a higher level than even his illustrious teammates by the end of the season, while Nacho was consistently great. If David Alaba plays more like he did in 2019-2020 than in 2020-2021 at center back, then Real could be in business.
More from The Real Champs
- Manchester City hold talks over Real Madrid target
- Real Madrid player confirms he is playing with a fracture
- Real Madrid superstar rejected Premier League clubs confirmed
- Spaniard ready to join Real Madrid instead of Liverpool
- PSG want €100 million Real Madrid player to replace Kylian Mbappe
But can Real Madrid really afford to skimp on the position if they lose BOTH Ramos and Varane? Because we are talking about two of the best central defenders of the last decade and the best pairing many of us have ever seen in our lifetimes.
Varane came up the ranks when Real Madrid already had one of the world’s best tandems in Ramos and Pepe. He was a young center back from Lens with something to prove, and he quickly showed the traits necessary to succeed at Real before blossoming into a star who could start alongside Ramos or even Nacho.
Center back, as we are increasingly seeing in 2021, is one of those positions you NEED depth at if you want to be considered an elite team.
Taking Ramos and Varane out of the equation, Real need a fourth man. And given Alaba’s question marks, Nacho’s age, and last year’s reminder of the constant danger of injuries, Real need that fourth man to be someone more proven than Victor Chust.
They need someone who can come in and start, and they also need someone who, like Varane, can develop into a world-class partner for Militao.
Jules Kounde is the ideal replacement for Real Madrid
Jules Kounde is the best man for the job. I know he would cost a whole lot of money, but if Real are finding it challenging to get a huge fee for Raphael Varane in this economy, then it stands to reason that Kounde won’t go for much more either. And the competitors for Varane and Kounde overlap, which helps Madrid. They could sell Varane to his new challenge and have Kounde ready at a similar price to take over.
Stylistically, Kounde brings the same composure and intelligence as Varane. He is wise beyond his years and has been straight-up world-class over the past two seasons in Andalusia. If Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are generational talents in the attack, then the former Bordeaux man is their counterpart in central defense.
Real Madrid don’t have much wiggle room financially. I get it. And there are other good players worth a look, such as Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile. However, center back is a position that needs to be treated as a premier position, especially from the perspective of a team that both asks a LOT out of their central defenders and currently stands to lose two of the best at the position.
Kounde is 22, versatile, coachable, great with the ball at his feet, smart, athletic, and capable of marking anyone. He is as close as you are going to get to the finished product from a defender under the age of 25, and that also matters to Real Madrid, even as they should additionally be intrigued by his chance to become something so much more in the attacking phases.
Saying farewell to Varane will be tough, but if Kounde comes in to replace him, I think Madridistas will end up having no regrets. And that is the highest praise I think I can give to any prospective Real Madrid center back, given the standard Varane helped set at the Santiago Bernabeu.