Real Madrid have reportedly drawn up a three-man shortlist of transfers they are likely to pursue once the transfer market reopens in January.
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Los Blancos are currently in the midst of a defensive crisis. The right-back position has seen two of its stars sidelined, with Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez suffering injuries.
However, the position is not of immediate concern to the Spanish champions, with youngster Raul Asencio deputising for the latter against Osasuna this past weekend.
The position that seems to be a priority for the record European champions is centre-back. Eder Militao was also forced off against the Pamplona-based side during their 4-0 win, leaving Carlo Ancelotti with limited options in the middle of his back four.
According to Diario AS, Los Merengues will recruit a central defender in the next transfer window, and on their list of potential candidates are Aymeric Laporte, Castello Lukeba and Jonathan Tah.
It is understood that Laporte is who the club are most keen on, but that they are not eager to pay the rumoured €15–€20 million (R283-R378 million) Al Nassr are demanding for the 30-year-old.
Lukeba is a transfer that is believed to have more of a long-term vision, with the Frenchman only 21 years old.
While the Spanish juggernauts would like to acquire his services despite the defender having just signed an extension with RB Leipzig a few weeks ago, they believe they may have to spend far more than they originally planned.
The last player is Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah. The same report claims that he is the likeliest to make his way to the Santiago Bernabeu because his contract expires at the end of the season. Real will likely leverage this to secure a cut-price deal for the German international.
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Who ends up joining Real remains to be seen, but what does appear likely is that a new centre-back will join the European champions at the start of 2025.
