Over the last few years, Real Madrid have been hunting for their perfect new defensive duo. The departures of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, who were Madrid's leading center-back duo for the better part of a decade, have been felt more than first anticipated, and the club has yet to find their perfect long-term replacements.
In recent years, the club has had extremely successful seasons with different center-back duos like Eder Militao and David Alaba, as well as Antonio Rudiger and Nacho Fernandez, and the club were hoping a Dean Huijsen-Eder Militao partnership would be their next Ramos-Varane. Unfortunately, so far they've struggled to find consistency together due to injuries to both players and somewhat clashing playing styles.
Madrid has been scouring the transfer market looking for their ideal next central defender and has been linked with a number of top-class players who will be available in the summer. The name most linked with Los Blancos has been Liverpool center-back Ibrahima Konate, however, recently the club took pole position in the race for an alternative, one who will actually be an upgrade on the out-of-form Konate.
Real Madrid now in pole position to sign highly coveted defender
As being reported by BILD, a move for center-back Nico Schlotterbeck to Real Madrid is now increasingly more likely, with major developments from both the player and the club. The German is out of contract in 2027, but seems poised for a move this summer.
The report states that Borussia Dortmund would prefer to sell the defender to a different league, rather than strengthening a domestic rival like Bayern Munich, and have set a price tag of around €50 million on Schlotterbeck ahead of any sale. This is a similar price tag to what Los Blancos paid for Huijsen this past summer, and should be no problem for them once again this year.
The 26-year-old has almost all the attributes that Madrid looks for in central defenders. He's tall, extremely quick, and a great leader. He brings an intensity and aggression that modern football lacks and he can be a threat on set pieces, something Xabi Alonso lacks from his defenders. He is also left-footed, which would make him the perfect partner for Eder Militao.
While other options like Marc Guehi and Konate are available as free agents this summer, €50 million in today's market for a player of the quality of Schlotterbeck is an absolute steal of a deal, and should be a priority for Real Madrid this summer.