Real Madrid News
Real Madrid identify €50-million rated Dortmund star as priority defensive target
Real Madrid have identified several central defensive targets over the months including the likes of Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate and Marc Guehi, but all options led to dead ends for varied reasons.
On that front, Diario AS bring a massive report to the forefront as they relay that Real Madrid are closing in on the big name they eye as a star defensive signing for next summer. The player in question is none other than Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck.
The Bundesliga star was not initially on Real Madrid’s list of targets, but his name has grown as an option in recent months and the Spanish outlet confirms that the club administration are slowly but surely locking in on his name.
A convincing option
The name of Schlotterbeck has reportedly generated serious consensus within the Real Madrid board, with several club leaders agreeing that he is the right profile they need.
For starters, his deal runs out in 2027, and the player is refusing to sign a renewal. The only option for him, thus, is to leave this summer for a fee or run his contract down and leave in 2027.
From Real Madrid’s standpoint, they have amped up the scouting and follow-ups on Schlotterbeck in recent weeks and are increasingly impressed by his play.
The reports are increasingly positive, and the fact that Bayern Munich is no longer an option for him after Upamecano’s renewal makes him an even easier target.
Several clubs, including Barcelona, are interested in the German star, but Real Madrid have an excellent relationship with Dortmund and that could play a part in seeing the deal through.
It is expected to include a fee of close to €50 million, but it appears Real Madrid are willing to pay that sum.
Negotiations will formally begin only in the summer, and there is a long way to go before Los Blancos can get their hands on the player and attempt to lure him to Spain. All factors, however, look positive and in their favour.
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
