Real Madrid will be prioritizing another center back in the summer 2026 tranfer window, and while Liverpool free agent Ibrahima Konate is the player most often named in transfer rumors, it doesn't sound like Los Blancos, like their astute fans, are all that keen on settling for the injury prone Frenchman just because he is free.
While Konate is a good player, he hasn't been great, particularly not recently, and Real Madrid may be aiming for higher upside options with Eder Militao, Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rudiger, and Raul Asencio already comprising but passable quartet.
Real Madrid, though, want their defense to be as strong as the rest of the parts of their squad, and a player who has become especially intriguing to fans is Nico Schlotterbeck. Borussia Dortmund are second in the Bundesliga this season despite a roster filled with holes because of how brilliant Schlotterbeck has been defensively. He is the one guy as talented as the Dortmund stars of old, and he's been on the Real Madrid radar for years, including at Freiburg.
Nico Schlotterbeck dreams of Real Madrid
But by starring for a bigger club with more expectations and shining on an island with not much help around him besides Waldemar Anton, Schlotterbeck, who is one of the most insane athletes at the position in world football and a special passer of the ball from the back, has proven that he is ready to try a huge challenge at Real Madrid.
Now, according to a report from Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenberg, via Madrid Xtra, not only is Nico Schlotterbeck's dream club Real Madrid, but Los Blancos could sign him for just 30 million euros if he does not sign a contract extension.
There is not much time before the summer transfer window begins, and if Schlotterbeck does not sign a new deal before then, he will be on a one year contract when everyone knows that he will ultimately leave for free anyway. And signing a 26 year old Schlotterbeck for free when he is arguably the best center back in the Bundesliga sounds too good to be true. With the likes of Liverpool also highly interested, Real Madrid probably don't want to risk him signing anywhere for free, though they tend to not lose out on these kinds of players as free agents.
Still, 30 million euros to add Schlotterbeck to the defense immediately for the 2026/27 season is also too good to pass up on. Schlotty is worth at least double, potentially even close to triple, that amount on a full contract. He sounds like a much better signing than even a free Ibrahima Konate.