Real Madrid has serious business to do in the upcoming summer transfer window. The squad looks under-equipped in key positions and the scouting team needs to monitor suitable targets to fill up the gaps as soon as possible.
As such, three positions are striking me as absolute priorities that Real Madrid cannot gamble with by not signing a player there. These three positions are right-wing, right-back, and center-back, with right-wing being the most seriously in need and center-back being the least.
Real Madrid is also in the race for some midfield talents like Ryan Gravenberch of Ajax and Franck Kessie of AC Milan. But, with Fede Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga already in the squad, the midfield is a position that could wait another season for more refreshments, in my opinion.
Here, I make my picks for the best possible targets for these three key positions.
CB: Maxence Lacroix, Wolfsburg
There are a lot of things to consider for Real Madrid before they make a center-back signing in the upcoming 2022 summer window. Carlo Ancelotti wouldn’t want to risk changing the tried and tested center-back pairing. That means signing another star player at center-back like Antonio Rudiger would a hundred percent disrupt the partnership that Real Madrid has going at the back.
Jules Kounde stands out as a possible option and is handy as a utility man. However, his links with Chelsea are still something that could hurt Real Madrid in their pursuit. The best option is always to go with a backup. Benoit Badiashile is an exciting prospect but one could argue about him not being fit for Real Madrid because he hasn’t yet proven his worth at the highest level of football.
Therefore, the possibility of Wolfsburg’s Maxence Lacroix moving to Real Madrid grows more interesting each day in my mind. On the face of it, Lacroix is just a year older than Badiashile but I dare I say it, he is much wiser. He is becoming a rock to this Wolfsburg side and getting more and more first-team starts under his belt.
While he has never played top-flight football before arriving at Wolfsburg, his rise has been one of football’s best stories recently. He is quickly establishing himself as one of the World’s best right-sided center-back. His long passing and ball-carrying have been huge assets to the German club. He also has the touch and skill to evade high press and the mobility to cope with fast attackers.
Bundesliga veteran John Brooks has been Lacroix’s preferred partner which gives me another reason to believe he would work as a perfect rotational piece for Eder Militao. David Alaba is a strong front-foot defender who can give Lacroix the kind of support he needs to excel at Real Madrid. He has already taken a quantum leap in quick time, I believe in him to take another and become a core player to this Real Madrid side.
Additionally, he fits into Real Madrid’s preferred age category for transfers and is a little more established prospect than Badiashile. Together with players like Eder Militao, Vinicius Junior, Roddrygo Goes, and Fede Valverde to name a few, he could be part of the nucleus of players who creates Real Madrid’s mainstay in the future. He is rightly the option to choose for a long-term solution.