Real Madrid have signed three big names in defense this summer transfer window, and they bagged all of them right at the beginning of the window, bringing in Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, and Marc Cucurella. All three are capable of starting in defense, as Cucurella is 100 percent going to be the left back every week, Konate will likely pair with Eder Militao in central defense when everyone is healthy, and Dumfries will compete with Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right.
But Jose Mourinho has always wanted one more center back for Real Madrid this summer. He pushed hard for compatriot Ruben Dias, but Manchester City slammed that door shut pretty quickly. Nico Schlotterbeck, who has a release clause and has been on Real's radar for years, seemed like an obvious candidate, but the clause has expired after Madrid stopped their interest following a World Cup injury with the German national team.
So the last top target standing at the center back position for Real Madrid and Mourinho is Dumfries's Inter Milan teammate Alessandro Bastoni, who has the sweetest left foot at the position with passing numbers that would put half of Real Madrid's current midfield to shame.
Real Madrid are stuck at CB
Unfortunately, Bastoni is starting to seem unrealistic despite initial optimism. His agent Tullio Tinti continues to state that Bastoni has no interest in leaving Inter Milan. Transfer insider Gianluca Di Marzio, who is based in Italy, has the latest pointed quote from Tinti, "He's a super fan of Inter and is in love with its colors. He's not thinking about anything else"
That pretty much settles it. Real Madrid themselves have not shown much interest in Alessandro Bastoni during the World Cup, but their mind was likely elsewhere. Most expected Real Madrid to renew their interest in the player after the tournament, but it looks like the Royal Whites will have to look elsewhere if they still want another center back.
But the big problem for Jose Mourinho, even more than Bastoni's agent shutting the door on him, is that he would still need an exit from the center back position in order to sign another center back. Real Madrid took for granted that Raul Asencio would leave after being an attitude problem in a terrible 2025/26 La Liga campaign, but Raul is taking the Jesus Vallejo route and demanding to stay. Mourinho will hope he is serious about giving his full effort if he is stuck with him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google