From Konaté and Saliba to Lukeba and Bastoni: the center backs Real Madrid is watching

Real Madrid keeps shaping Santiago Bernabéu locker room after what happened in the 24/25 season, as well as the Club World Cup. Both experiences have changed Xabi Alonso's original plans, who has made two very clear transfer requests to the Valdebebas offices.

The first is the signing of a creative midfielder with a defensive profile to help Arda Güler: the Turkish "15" is in the process of becoming Toni Kroos's heir... but he can't take on that extremely important task by himself. In addition, Xabi Alonso has decided to put more pressure and urgency on signing a center-back.

Ibrahima Konaté

The most closely watched footballer in recent weeks. Liverpool's "5", at 26 years old, has just one more year left on his contract with the sports organization based in Merseyside, a reason that puts Real Madrid as his offeror. The player is increasingly open to wearing the white jersey, although Liverpool is doing everything it can to prevent his departure and secure a contract renewal.

William Saliba

The French defender, Konaté's compatriot, is the next center-back in the big plan created by the executives led by Florentino Pérez. His contract with Arsenal ends in the summer of 2027, a year after the "5" red's deal, with Real Madrid aiming to repeat that formula once again. The gunner executives are trying to renew his contract, although there hasn't been much progress so far.

Castello Lukeba

The possibility of signing the French defender from RB Leipzig became very real during the early stages of the "center-back case" at the end of the last league campaign. The high financial demands of the German organization, about €90 million (about $97.8 million), quickly drove the white club's leaders away from the player, whose contract ends in the summer of 2029.

Alessandro Bastoni

The Inter Milan footballer is one of the top center-backs in the European football elite. His market value, €80 million (about $86.8 million), and a contract until mid-2028 are the main obstacles to this multi-million operation. The sports organization led by Romanian Cristian Chivu, Simone Inzaghi's replacement, has made it clear that this left-footed center-back won't be easy to take from Giuseppe Meazza.

Piero Hincapié

The Ecuadorian footballer is an ideal second-tier option for the merengue sports organization. In fact, Xabi Alonso himself reportedly requested his signing: he was one of his favorite center-backs at Bayer Leverkusen. The contract until the summer of 2029 and his status as a left-footed footballer, directly competing with Dean Huijsen, are obstacles that make a move for his signing difficult in the short term.

La Fábrica

The production of talent in the youth ranks of the white squad is no surprise, although most haven't managed to establish themselves in the first team so far. Joan Martínez, at Real Madrid Castilla, is Xabi Alonso's great hope... although other names like Rafa Marín or Mario Gila, trained in the white academy, periodically reappear in the scouting reports led by Juni Calafat.