Real Madrid News
Real Madrid closely monitoring €35 million-rated Bundesliga defensive talent – report
Real Madrid have been placing particular emphasis on strengthening their defence in recent transfer windows, especially at centre-back.
In the summer of 2025, they signed Dean Huijsen for €58 million, while this past summer they brought in Ibrahima Konate on a free transfer.
Despite that, manager Jose Mourinho wanted to bring in another central defender, although it did not come to fruition.
But the recruitment process at the Santiago Bernabeu continues, with the club monitoring several young talents around the world with an eye on the future transfer windows.
Real Madrid tracking Finn Jeltsch
And, according to AS, one of the young prospects that Real Madrid are tracking is Finn Jeltsch, the 20-year-old German centre-back who plays for VfB Stuttgart.
The signing of a new defender is not an urgent need at the moment, as the Merengues currently have five centre-backs in their squad: Huijsen, Konate, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao.
However, Rudiger is in the final year of his contract, while there are concerns about Militao’s fitness. As such, Real Madrid are paying particular attention to the centre-back market.
And, Jeltsch is one of the players being followed. The 20-year-old defender has been performing well for Stuttgart since joining them from Nuremberg in 2025 and, during this international break, received his first call-up to the German national team.
A modern-day defender
Jeltsch developed through the youth system at Nuremberg before moving to Stuttgart. He also impressed at youth international level, winning both the Under-17 World Cup and European Championship with Germany.
Following his move to Stuttgart in January last year, the youngster established himself quickly as a regular starter.
Last season, he accumulated almost 2,500 minutes, while this campaign he has started by playing almost every minute available and has also made his UEFA Champions League debut.
Jeltsch is a right-footed centre-back who generally operates on the right side of the defence. Comfortable in possession, he stands out more for carrying the ball forward than for his passing, although he is also capable of playing accurate long balls.
At 188 centimetres, he has a good physical presence. He was also noted for scoring regularly at youth level.
Jeltsch has a long-term contract with Stuttgart until the summer of 2030. For now, Real Madrid are only monitoring his development and there is no indication that it will turn into a formal approach.
*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.
Real Madrid News
Mbappe hits out at claims on his unhappiness at Real Madrid: ‘Angry at my great aunt too’
Kylian Mbappe has been in the news for a plethora of reasons in recent weeks, starting with his injury and surprise vacation. Beyond that, the Ballon d’Or saga has kept him in the spotlight for a reasonable while now.
The Frenchman, after all, has not held back in speaking out about why he deserves to win the prestigious individual award, and while it is perfectly okay to campaign for the award, it is something that has not usually been done in the past.
In terms of his goalscoring numbers, there is no doubt that Mbappe should be a frontrunner for the award. His lack of a single trophy for both club and country, however, works against his chances.
Mbappe’s sarcastic reply to baseless rumours
Earlier today, there were reports of Kylian Mbappe being angry with Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid for not campaigning for him to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
The rumours, needless to say, portrayed the player in a very bad light and made it seem like the club not making public gestures to acknowledge and back his campaign affected him personally.
Now, the player has himself come out to lash out at the journalists, albeit in a sarcastic manner. Commenting directly below the post making the claim via Fabrizio Romano, the player wrote,
“Yes, yes, I even got angry with my great aunt too.”
Mbappe’s ability to deal with such reports with a tinge of humour, needless to say, is impressive and it can only be good for his image that he spoke out and cut off the news at its roots.
Set to return
There has been significant concern around Mbappe’s fitness in recent weeks after the player left the French national team with an injury after their first game.
The initial diagnosis appeared worrying, but it soon came to light that the player had avoided a major setback by a hair’s breadth.
Now, there is increasing hope that the Frenchman will be back for Real Madrid’s first game after the break against Villarreal, possibly even as a starter.
Needless to say, that comes as a massive positive for Jose Mourinho’s plans ahead of a crucial stretch of the season.
