Jorge Mendes offers 2 signings to Real Madrid for the defense, but they don't convince Xabi

The restructuring of Santiago Bernabéu locker room being carried out by the coaching staff led by Xabi Alonso hasn't gone unnoticed by the entire European football elite. Especially since the Tolosa manager is said to have requested in the Valdebebas offices the signing of another center-back during the summer of 2025.

Within the white club, there are doubts about that move demanded by the Basque coach, especially regarding the player chosen by the manager: Ibrahima Konaté. In an ideal scenario, Real Madrid would sign Liverpool's current "5" as a free agent in mid-2026, a possibility the sporting management isn't going to give up.

Taking advantage of that slight distance between Xabi Alonso and the Madrid bosses, multiple agents and representatives are starting to contact the club, offering their players to strengthen the back line. Jorge Mendes has been one of the most prominent, even though his relationship with Real Madrid has worsened in recent years.

The ties kept through footballers like Andriy Lunin are the few direct connections with the Portuguese super-agent, who has offered the Madrid coach two of his clients. Specifically, these are young center-backs who are making an impression across the Old Continent... but they haven't managed to catch the attention of the Madrid manager himself.

They have no place

The first name to reach the Valdebebas offices is António Silva. Juni Calafat's scouts already had dozens of reports on the playing style and other considerations of the Benfica footballer. In fact, they explored his signing as a possibility when Real Madrid, in 2023, began the saga to strengthen the center of its own defense.

At that time, Benfica was requesting a transfer fee of 100 million euros, given that he was one of the most closely followed players in the European elite. Although his profile has now drawn less attention, he remains a highly valued center-back in the Old Continent. His transfer wouldn't be cheap, but it has been his tactical and technical performance that has determined the rejection by the Madrid coach.

Something similar is happening with the young French talent El Chadaille Bitshiabu. The center-back's contract renewal with RB Leipzig, extending his deal until the summer of 2029, increases his release price beyond the initially estimated 32.8 million USD (30 million euros). In addition to that adverse circumstance, Xabi Alonso believes that he has barely played matches at the highest competitive level.

That circumstance would undoubtedly affect his ability to adapt to the demanding pace of the first team, something that has already happened in Santiago Bernabéu locker room. That's why the Madrid bosses are still keeping an eye on Ibrahima Konaté and William Saliba, seeking to prevent their contract renewals in order to secure their signings on a free transfer in 2026 and 2027 respectively.