Real Madrid News
Real Madrid preparing contract offer for Borussia Dortmund mainstay; will cost between €50 and €60 million
Jose Mourinho is pushing for Real Madrid to beef up the defence ahead of next season as he sees the department to be the weakest link in the side.
He is of the idea that a second elite centre-back after Ibrahima Konate, and a new left-back, will add some much-needed depth to the side.
The likes of Riccardo Calafiori and Josko Gvardiol have emerged as serious options on that front, and the manager is said to highly rate both the aforementioned players. Now, however, German outlet BILD report a new option that has popped up on their table.
The option in Dortmund
Indeed, the player in question is none other than Nico Schlotterbeck, who plays for Borussia Dortmund and has been linked with the club in the past as well.
The German outlet now brings to light that Real Madrid see him back on the table as an option and that they want to sign him this summer.
Los Blancos are already preparing a contract offer to send over to Dortmund and the player so as to open talks. The priority, needless to say, will be to get the player’s approval swiftly and accelerate the process.
A release clause to trigger
What makes Schlotterbeck a promising option for Real Madrid is the fact that the player has a release clause that can be triggered to skip the negotiation process.
The player’s termination clause reportedly stands at between €50 million and €60 million, a fee Real Madrid will see as affordable in the current market scenario.
At just 26 years of age, moreover, the player has the best years of his career ahead of him and can serve as a long-term option for the club.
Real Madrid are back in action in La Liga tonight as they take on Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabeu as part of Matchday 5.
Having won their first three league games of the 2026/27 season under new manager Jose Mourinho, Los Blancos fell to their first defeat last weekend, losing 1-0 away to Real Betis.
It has allowed arch-rivals FC Barcelona pull away and open up a three-point lead at the top of the table.
While these are still early days in the campaign, Real Madrid know they cannot afford any more slip-ups, especially considering the red-hot form the Blaugrana are in.
Mourinho’s men did bounce back to winning ways after last week’s defeat, beating Inter Milan 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, although the performance was not entirely convincing.
As they take the field once more tonight at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid will hope to deliver a strong performance and gather all three points and keep up the pace with the league leaders.
Mourinho has been boosted by the return of five players in Arda Guler, Eduardo Camavinga, Bernardo Silva, Raul Asencio, and Andriy Lunin, who missed the midweek European encounter.
Here’s how the Portuguese tactician is likely to set his team up tonight against Rayo Vallecano.
Defence
Thibaut Courtois was the star of the show for Real Madrid against Inter Milan, making some splendid saves. He will once again hold the key for the hosts as they look for only their second clean sheet of the season.
In defence, changes are unlikely, with Mourinho clearly establishing Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen as his preferred partnership at centre-back, meaning Antonio Rudiger is set to miss out again.
Denzel Dumfries and Marc Cucurella, both of whom have made solid starts to life at the Bernabeu, ought to continue in the full-back positions.
Midfield
Given the absences of some key players, Mourinho was forced to play Trent Alexander-Arnold in the double pivot against Inter Milan – an experiment that was far from convincing.
Now, with the Real Madrid manager recovering his options in midfield, it is expected that summer signing Bernardo Silva starts alongside captain Federico Valverde in the centre of the park.
Eduardo Camavinga, who is also back after serving a suspension, will be an option from the bench, along with Aurelien Tchouameni, who is being eased back slowly after his return from injury.
Jude Bellingham has been one of Real Madrid’s best players in the early parts of the season and will continue in his preferred attacking midfield position against Rayo Vallecano tonight.
Attack
Brahim Diaz got the nod against Inter Milan and gave a good account of himself. However, with Arda Guler back and available after missing the midweek game, the Turkish international should reclaim his spot on the right flank.
On the left wing, Vinicius Jr. will retain his place, but will need to step up and deliver amid growing pressure and frustration within the fans, who booed him at the Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Finally, Kylian Mbappe, who has been in the news for his candid interview, will spearhead the Real Madrid attack.
Summer signing Yan Diomande will once again have to make do with minutes off the bench.
