Manchester United and Chelsea were consistently competing for the Premier League and the Champions League in the 2000s. Both clubs have fallen behind teams like Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal in recent years though. Interestingly, both seem to be following a similar transfer strategy now, signing the best youngsters from around the world. One Real Madrid standout seems to be in their sights.
Joan Martinez might not be a household name yet but in footballing circles, he is highly regarded. Some have even dubbed him the 'next Sergio Ramos'.
That is quite the praise considering what Ramos was able to achieve during his decade-and-a-half-long career at Real Madrid. If Martinez achieves even half of that, he will go down as an all-time great. But if some clubs in England get their wish, he will not remain in the Spanish capital for much longer.
As reported by AS, Manchester United and Chelsea have already made moves to take an interest in his situation. But Martinez wants to stay at Real Madrid.
Manchester United and Chelsea want to sign Real Madrid defender
That is a positive update if you are a Real Madrid fan and want to see Martinez succeed at Santiago Bernabeu. The problem is, the club do not have a great record when it comes to promoting youngsters from their youth ranks to the senior team.
If Martinez does not get chances, sooner or later, one would expect him to start considering his future. In such situations, Real Madrid have found a lot of success including buyback clauses in deals over the years but one would not expect clubs the level of Manchester United and Chelsea to be open to such terms.
This season could be a great chance for Real Madrid to slowly integrate Martinez into the first-team picture. The club have very little depth in central defence. David Alaba is still recovering from the long-term injury he suffered last season while Nacho has left this summer. But Los Blancos do not seem likely to sign a centre-back in this window.