Real Madrid will seek to sign a central defender in the summer of 2026 to replace ageing veterans David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger at the end of their contracts. However the options on the market are beginning to come off the table.
Despite admitting that a move to Real Madrid was ‘really tempting’, Arsenal’s William Saliba penned a new deal with Arsenal in September, effectively ending Los Blancos’ chances of signing the defender they rate most highly. Another of the most appealing options is France and Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano, who is out of contract next year, and thus available to sign on a free in a little under two months’ time.
Bayern are not giving up Upamecano without a fight though. Los Blancos signed Alaba on a free from Bayern three years ago, but Bayern held onto Alphonso Davies last summer in a similar tug of war. Although Real Madrid have not shown the same level of interest, Bayern Sporting Director Max Eberl gave an update on contract talks.
“It’s always difficult to make predictions. If it were up to me, it would be a ten [out of ten chance of him renewing]. [He’s] Very, very comfortable in Munich, although he will probably have offers,” he told Sky DE, as quoted by Diario AS.
“We must achieve it. It’s my job and I will try to do my best. He had some rough patches, but today Upa is, in my opinion, one of the best centre-backs in the world. We’ll do everything we can to keep him.”
If Upamecano does renew with Bayern, it reduces Real Madrid’s options in the 2026 transfer market. The other two big names that are available on a free as things stand are England international Marc Guehi, and Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate. Los Blancos have been strongly linked with the latter since the late stages of last season.
