Real Madrid have faced continuous hurdles in defence over the past year.
What began with Eder Militao’s ACL injury in last season’s La Liga opener only compounded when David Alaba faced the same fate late last year.
The Brazilian has now recovered and is back in action. However, the departure of Nacho Fernandez coupled with Rafa Marin’s sale now leaves Los Blancos with just three centre-backs ahead of next season.
The Merengues’ struggles in the department, unsurprisingly, have seen them linked with several defenders on the transfer market, one of whom is Cristian Romero.
A tale of rejection
As revealed by Paul O Keefe via Last Word on Spurs in a recent update, Los Blancos were interested in the Argentine superstar earlier this year and probed the possibility of his signing.
They even approached Tottenham Hotspur to test the waters and see if the London-based side were open to negotiations.
Daniel Levy and Co., however, quoted a price tag of £150 million for the World Cup winner making it clear that they would not let go of the star defender without a fight.
Needless to say, the price tag detracted Real Madrid from their pursuit of the player.
State of emergency
While Leny Yoro was Real Madrid’s top target for the summer, the French phenom eventually snubbed Los Blancos for Manchester United.
Left with no equal alternatives on the market, the men in white have opted not to sign a backup defender and Carlo Ancelotti is now counting on academy stars to serve as the fourth-choice defender.
Heading into next season, Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger will serve as the first-choice defenders. Aurelien Tchouameni will likely be the first-choice backup until David Alaba’s return with Jesus Vallejo an option as well.
Raul Asencio, Jacobo Ramon and Joan Martinez, as it stands, are well placed to cover the position from the academy.