After Eder Militao suffered a second ACL injury in 15 months during Saturday’s victory against Osasuna, Real Madrid will now advance their plans to sign at least one central defender. The idea is for an arrival in January, and in the last 24 hours, Aymeric Laporte has emerged as a leading candidate.
Real Madrid were keen on a move for Laporte during the summer too, but it was ruled out as Al-Nassr’s asking price was deemed to be too high. The stance has not softened in the last couple of months, as Marca have reported that the Saudi Arabian giants would want €30m in order to allow a sale.
Real Madrid are not prepared to pay that amount for a player who is 30 years of age – in their eyes, it is not value for money. Because of this, the club has moved to identify RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba as their top target at centre-back.
2025 promises to be a very busy year for Real Madrid on the transfer front, and it is inevitable that they will end their six-year wait for a January signing. For now, it remains to be seen who joins.