Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho received so much organizational support on the transfer market when the summer 2026 window first opened with Real almost immediately signing Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate, Bernardo Silva, and Denzel Dumfries to significantly upgrade the defense and midfield. And later on, they did bring in another blockbuster signing in Yan Diomande to fill out a world class attacking trio. They even replaced Gonzalo Garcia with another promising La Liga gem at striker in Carlos Espi from Levante.
But in the end, the summer transfer window has fizzled out for Mourinho and Madrid with no new signings expected to come in and Real suffering a bit with players Mou doesn't deem good enough, Eduardo Camavinga and Raul Asencio, failing to sign an additional midfielder and center back that Mourinho had wanted since the beginning of the window. Rodri seemed close to Madrid, but Florentino Perez did not show urgency in signing the World Cup Golden Ball, who now appears headed to rivals Barcelona.
In addition to the serious concerns in midfield despite Silva looking better than expected in the preseason, Mourinho has a huge crisis at the center back position on his hands. Eder Militao is still recovering from an injury and Asencio himself is out, too, leaving Real with only three healthy center backs to start the 2026/27 La Liga season.
Real Madrid's defense is still a problem
All Jose Mourinho has to bank on without a new central defender like Aymeric Laporte coming in is the group of Ibrahima Konate, Dean Huijsen, and Antonio Rudiger. So Konate and Huijsen are going to be the Matchday 1 starters and the duo until Militao comes back, and the only senior backup on the team is Rudiger.
Now, Real Madrid do have three promising academy prospects in Mario Rivas, Joan Martinez, and Lamine Fati, but nobody thinks these guys are ready for the big time yet. And even the veteran depth is hugely suspect, because beyond just having one backup center back in the squad right now, that one defender, Rudiger, has been dreadful so far in the preseason.
Mourinho knew Real Madrid were thin at center back and still needed more signings than just Ibrahima Konate. Real backed out of signing Borussia Dortmund star Nico Schlotterbeck, who has been on their radar for years all the way back to the Freiburg days, because of a World Cup injury, but he could really help the team at this point. The summer window is not over, but if Real Madrid don't add another body at center back, they are going to be giving Mourinho quite a tall order when the season starts.
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