For Real Madrid, one of the areas that has had the biggest impact on their poor form in the last two seasons has been the defense, but more specifically, the center-backs. Constant injuries and overall drops in form from a number of players led to inconsistency in the backline, costing Los Blancos in the long run. Real Madrid made it their goal to solve those issues in the summer transfer window, and so far it seems like that's just what they've done.
The club brought in Ibrahima Konate on a free transfer from Liverpool and has partnered him with Dean Huijsen, and with the Spaniard finally back to full fitness after an injury-riddled first season, Real Madrid is back to having a strong center-back duo that can be the backbone to carry them back to winning trophies. However, Konate wasn't the only center-back Real Madrid were after this summer.
The club held a strong interest in Borussia Dortmund captain Nico Schlotterbeck, and for a while, it seemed Real Madrid were ready to splash the cash on the German to bring him to the Bernabeu. However, a move never ended up materializing and Schlotterbeck ultimately extended at Dortmund until 2031.
However, the German is once again back on Real Madrid's transfer radar but, when looking at Real Madrid's current situation, is it too late for the defender to make the switch?
Has the Real Madrid bus already left the station for Schlotterbeck?
While there's no denying Schlotterbeck is one of the best center-backs in the game and would be a terrific addition to Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho has got something good going right now with Konate and Huijsen. The two have created a strong partnership together and are looking like completely different players than what we saw from the two of them last season. It would be too risky to replace either of them with someone who may not fit Mourinho's system.
And on top of that, Eder Militao is nearing his return from injury, so adding him to the rotation alongside Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asencio, who are also backups, means Schlotterbeck doesn't really have a place in the squad. He's one of the best defenders in the world and isn't the kind of player you spend €60 million on just to have him sit on the bench. If Real Madrid is looking for a player who can serve as a replacement for Antonio Rudiger down the line, it would make more sense to bring in a more experienced veteran who would be okay being a rotation player, not someone who's still only 26-years-old and in the prime of their career.
In his new extension he signed with Dortmund there is a €60 million release clause which may be one of the reasons a move is so appealing to Real Madrid given that is a bargain in this inflated transfer market for a player of Schlotterbeck's caliber. However, as mentioned earlier, just because he would be a bargain signing doesn't mean it would be the right signing for Real Madrid to make, especially when they still need to reinforce in other areas on the pitch.
Real Madrid are still lacking that deep lying, tempo controlling, Toni Kroos style midfielder, so it would wise from the club to save that €60 million they would spend on Schlotterbeck and use it to bring in a midfield reinforcement which is much more necessary at the moment.
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