Could Real Madrid lose their status as the favorites to sign Leny Yoro? Is Cristian Romero a potential alternative at center back? And what does the future hold for current center back Nacho Fernandez?
Here are the latest rumors and news items around Real Madrid today.
Real Madrid won’t be the highest bidders for Leny Yoro
According to a report from Sergio Lopez de Vicente, the interest in Lille center back Leny Yoro is heating up, and Manchester United are particularly interested in making the Frenchman their starting CB next to Lisandro Martinez.
Both Man United and PSG are heavily competing with Real Madrid in the race for Yoro, who is the best center back on the transfer market.
Real Madrid reportedly do not want to spend more than 40 million euros on Yoro, hoping the teenage defender will push Lille into selling to Los Blancos.
However, since Lille have stronger financial offers on the table from two other elite European clubs in PSG and Manchester United, Real Madrid may be forced into ponying up a more fair transfer offer to Les Dogues for the center back Juni Calafat feels is generationally great.
Basically, if Real Madrid are as serious as Manchester United and PSG about Yoro, they will pay a little more cash and secure their dream CB target next to Eder Militao.
Really, Los Merengues could get Yoro for cheaper than the others, but it seems like 40 million euros is too much of a bargain to materialize for Madrid.
Real Madrid want to sign Cristian Romero
Per a report from ESPN Argentina’s Esteban Edul, Real Madrid are also interested in signing Tottenham star Cristian Romero to fill their need at the center back position.
Real Madrid won the Champions League and LaLiga last season despite having serious question marks at center back, as both Eder Militao and David Alaba suffered torn ACLs.
Florentino Perez rejected Carlo Ancelotti’s request for an established center back signing in the winter market, as the club rolled ahead with Nacho Fernandez and Antonio Rudiger as the starters, utilizing Aurelien Tchouameni and Dani Carvajal as makeshift options instead.
Real Madrid’s men stepped up when it mattered most, but this summer, the club knows they will have to seriously address the position.
Because of his youth and upside, Leny Yoro is the top target, but Cristian Romero is an intriguing option because he is established as one of the best center backs in the Premier League and is a highly aggressive ball-winner.
Last season, Romero turned in his best season yet for Spurs, as the former Serie A star averaged 2.0 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game.
In the prime of his career at 26, Romero is a legitimate target for Real Madrid due to his quality, but Tottenham would not sell such an important player for cheap.
Additionally, Real Madrid and their fans would prefer someone a few years younger who can grow and show more covering attributes, which is why the likes of Yoro and Giorgio Scalvini should be preferred – Antonio Silva is another young CB to watch.
Nacho Fernandez close to Al-Ittihad
Real Madrid have kept Luka Modric for another season, but they have watched Toni Kroos retire while still in his prime and are now prepared to wave goodbye to another club icon.
According to Fabrizio Romano, veteran defender Nacho Fernandez is “really close” to accepting an offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, where he would team up with fellow Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema, who joined the Saudi Arabian club last summer.
Fab reports that Nacho never considered joining any other clubs in Europe, as his intention was, like Benzema, to leave for somewhere outside the continent when he was ready to leave Real Madrid.
Although Nacho did help Real Madrid win two major trophies in the 2023/24 season, it was clear that his play was declining and that he needed to move on from the world’s best club for a new chapter to close his career.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.
