Real Madrid are expected to undergo an major defensive overhaul in the summer, with a number of veteran players expected to say their goodbyes and depart for the next step of their careers. As a result the club is scouring the transfer market for defenders to add to the squad, with Defensa Central reporting that Atalanta's Giorgio Scalvini is the latest to be added to the list of potential targets.
David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, and Dani Carvajal are all expected to depart in the summer, and potentially Ferland Mendy and Fran Garcia as well. That leaves the backline extremely thin, but thankfully, the club is planning ahead, drawing up a defender wishlist to avoid any future disasters.
Real Madrid turn to Scalvini as Alaba replacement
Over the last few years the club has been rebuilding their backline from scratch following the deaprtures of cornerstone pieces of the clubs past success such as Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, and Raphael Varane. Just this past summer alone the club brought in all of Alvaro Carreras, Dean Huijsen, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, hoping to solidify a backline that has been leaking in goals since the start of last year.
Center-back has been the position giving Los Blancos the most trouble in recent times. The club was hoping Eder Militao and Dean Huijsen would be the starting duo for years and years to come, but unfortunately both have struggled with injuries this season, yet again leading to patchwork having to be done in the center of defense.
As a result, the club is taking the initiative to ensure this doesn't happen again, with ambitious plans for the upcoming summer transfer window. The club has been strongly linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck, but the club doesn't plan on stopping there. They're also hoping to bring in another defender to help with depth should any injuries arise, and that is where Scalvini comes into play.
The 22-year-old, hailed a "hidden gem" by Breaking The Lines, has been one of Serie A's rising stars over the last few years and has almost all the attributes to make him a perfect candidate for Los Blancos. At 6'4, he brings a commanding aerial presence both to win defensive headers as well as be a threat on set pieces. He's comfortable bringing the ball out from the back, has a wide passing range, and is versatile, able to play as both a left-sided and right-sided centre-back.
Currently valued at €25 million (via Transfermarkt) Atalanta would be expecting a fee of around €50 million to part ways with the defender. That would be similar price to what Dortmund would ask for Schlotterbeck, so being able to sign two defenders, one top class, and one with loads of potential for a combined €100 million would be incredible transfer work from Real this summer.