Real Madrid are projected to have a very big summer transfer window. Kylian Mbappe could finally join from Paris Saint-Germain, with his contract at the French champions expiring at the end of the season. Furthermore, Los Blancos want to sign Alphonso Davies as their new first-choice left-back, although that is complicated as Bayern Munich are confident of retaining him, while Manchester City and Chelsea are also interested.
One other area that Real Madrid could strengthen in is at right-back. Dani Carvajal is getting on now, and being 32, a younger alternative is likely to be needed in the next couple of years. It may well be that one is looked for in the summer, and one name has already emerged as a possible target: Yan Couto.
Couto has greatly impressed at Girona this season, and has played a significant role in their spectacular season so far. He has been a constant threat for the Catalan side from the right-back/right wing-back position, and has regular chipped in with goal contributions.
Real Madrid have taken notice on Couto’s performance, and according to Fichajes, they are prepared to make a bid to sign him in the summer from Manchester City, his parent club. It’s worth noting that the Brazilian is out of contract in 2025, so he could be available on a cut-price deal – bearing this in mind, Los Blancos are reportedly willing to pay €25m to sign him.
Couto’s statistics show that he is a brilliant attacking full-back/wing-back, of that there is absolutely no doubt. If he does join Real Madrid, he would be able to contribute much more in an attacking sense that Carvajal currently does, and this would be a strong benefit to the club’s current attacking players, including Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Mbappe too of he joins.
However, it’s clear to see that Couto’s defensive game is not up to standard for Real Madrid. As he regularly plays as a wing-back in a 3-4-3 system, he is not relied upon to defend very often, so he isn’t exposed anywhere as much as he would be in a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2, which would be the formations that Carlo Ancelotti plays next season. Couto can defend, that’s for sure, but probably not nearly as well as Los Blancos would want him to be able to.
Saying that, for €25m, Real Madrid cannot go wrong in signing Couto. He’s worth that already, and being 21, he will only get better. This means that he could significantly improve in a defensive sense, especially as he’d be learning from Ancelotti, as well as Carvajal. As such, it’s probably a risk worth taking, providing that they can actually buy him for a reasonable amount.
