Conflicting reports are emerging regarding Real Madrid’s future plans in terms of their defensive cover. After a season in which both David Alaba and Eder Militao have sustained cruciate ligament injuries, often Carlo Ancelotti has been asked to use a makeshift defence.
Recent information has emerged that Los Blancos are scouting Lille defender Leny Yoro, and have made contact with Yoro over a potential move in the summer. However their asking price is in excess of €60m for 18-year-old protege.
Yet Diario AS now claim that the position is not a priority for Los Blancos. They say that the thinking in Valdebebas is that they do not regret not signing reinforcements this season after those injuries, and that this season was truly just bad luck that their two starting centre-backs have suffered the same injury.
They will make one addition, but it will be in the form of 21-year-old loanee Rafa Marin, who will return from Alaves at the end of the season. Captain Nacho Fernandez is moving towards a renewal for another year, and that would leave five players for just two positions in the squad. In addition, they say that Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies and Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe are the priorities, and thus they do not intend to spend big in the summer on a third target.
Certainly their transfer strategy over the last five years has been to bring in one star signing, and while Mbappe’s arrival was scheduled for two summers ago initially, going from one major signing to three seems like quite a jump. This season’s prudence in the market following those injuries also shows that Florentino Perez is being more careful than ever with money, although it should be said they rarely miss the chance to move for a prodigious youngster, which Yoro is considered to be.
