Ever since the departures of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, Real Madrid has been searching for the perfect center back partnership for the future. Ramos and Varane complemented each other perfectly, and in the years since they both left, the club has struggled to find consistency in a partnership in the center of defense.
In recent years, Real has had extremely successful seasons with different center back duos like Militao and Alaba, as well as Rudiger and Nacho, and the club were hoping a Huijsen-Militao partnership would be their next Ramos-Varane. So far, they've struggled to find consistency together due to injuries to both players as well as somewhat clashing playing styles.
Real has been linked to many central defenders ahead of the upcoming transfer windows as they still look to build the perfect center back partnership and look to fix their shaky backline. However, a new name has come up recently, and he is by all accounts exactly what Los Blancos are looking for. However, they will face competition
Barcelona faces competition from Real Madrid for rated center back
As reported by Football Espana, Real Madrid are set to rival Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the race for Borussia Dortmund center back Nico Schlotterbeck and have learned what exactly it would cost to sign the central defender.
The report states that Borussia Dortmund won't allow Schlotterbeck to leave for anything less than €50 million, and his salary demands would range from anywhere between €14-€20 million gross per season. The German is out of contract in 2027 and seems set to leave Dortmund sometime between now and then for a bigger challenge at a bigger club in Europe.
Schlotterbeck had been linked with potential move to Bayern a few years ago but ultimately ended up joining Borussia Dortmund and is now on the radar of some of the biggest clubs in Europe. The report states that the player would prefer a move to Real Madrid over Barcelona, but as a German, he could well finally end up joining Bayern Munich.
The 26-year-old has almost all the attributes that Real Madrid look for in the central defenders. He's tall, extremely quick, and a great leader. He brings an intensity and aggression that modern football lacks at times. Also, he is left-footed, which would make him the perfect partner for Eder Militao.
While other options like Konate and Upamecano would be free transfers, €50 million for a player of Schlotterbeck's caliber is a steal of a deal in today's transfer market.