Real Madrid have been hurting at the center back position since last season when both David Alaba and Eder Militao went down with ACL tears, and even though Alaba will be joining Militao back on the pitch soon, there’s no guarantee the Austrian veteran will be as good as he was before the injury at the age of 32.
Furthermore, Real Madrid were only able to weather the center back injury storm in 2023/24 because of the play of emergency replacements at other positions like Ferland Mendy, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Dani Carvajal.
Tchouameni and Mendy have documented injury histories, and Carvajal himself is out with an ACL tear, leaving the right back position just as thin as the center back position behind nailed-on starters Antonio Rudiger and Militao.
With the center back position decimated by injury – accounting for top prospect Joan Martinez’s ACL tear in the preseason – Real Madrid will finally be addressing the position in January 2025.
According to a report from The Athletic, Real Madrid have four center backs on their shortlist. Saudi Pro League star Aymeric Laporte, Bayer Leverkusen leader Jonathan Tah, RB Leipzig standout Castello Lukeba, and Brazilian Vitor Reis are the players Florentino Perez and Co. are watching closely this winter.
Laporte is the one who could most immediately help the team, as he has shown for the Spanish national team that he is still class, even if he doesn’t play in what is recognized as a top league.
Over the long term, Lukeba is undoubtedly the best option, as he is 21 and already one of the best center backs in the Bundesliga after shining in Ligue 1 previously.
But if cost is a concern with Laporte, then it may be doubly so for Lukeba, given virtually every Premier League powerhouse in need of another central defender will be after the Frenchman.
Tah has an expiring contract, but he is more of a ball-playing center back with athletic deficiencies that would be exploited “on an island” in the aggressive attacking style of Real Madrid.
Furthermore, the Leverkusen star seems ticketed for a Bayern Munich move, given how close Die Roten were to signing him in the summer before a bizarre war of wards between club executives.
Reis is an unknown, but the 18-year-old is yet another Palmeiras gem who is rated highly by chief scout Juni Calafat. And if Calafat wants someone, he gets him, unless that player ends up like Leny Yoro and chooses a different club.
Since Real Madrid don’t usually like to make January signings due to the risk of an adjustment period, they may err on the side of a more proven name like Laporte before going after a young standout like Lukeba or Reis next summer.
However, when it comes to scouting prospects, they also don’t want to roadblock Martinez or Jacobo Ramon after both return from injuries, since they are two of the most talented academy products in the Castilla system.
