Forget Mbappe or Haaland - Madrid's biggest summer signing could be a central defender
FT Desk
- 15 Mar 2022 17:03 GMT
- 7 min read
Real Madrid have been heavily linked with star striker Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe this summer but the biggest fee they may end up paying this summer could be for a defender.
The Spanish giants have been somewhat negligent of their defence in recent seasons, with David Alaba being the sole arrival tasked with replacing both Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, who departed for Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United respectively last summer.
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As such, Los Blancos are apparently gearing up for the signing of a new defender this summer according to reports in Spain.
Indeed, Defensa Central report that Madrid have shortlisted Bayern Munich central defender Lucas Hernandez as their number one target ahead of next season.
But would their German counterparts be willing to sell their star and how much could he end up costing Madrid?
Is Hernandez for sale?
While the Spanish media may think Madrid have a chance of signing Hernandez, such news must have reached Munich with a few raised eyebrows.
Following the signing of Dayot Upamecano last summer and the departure of Niklas Sule at the end of this season, Bayern’s defence has had a huge amount of upheaval in recent years and Hernandez is one of the few consistencies in Nagelsmann’s squad.
When you couple that with the fact that the France international is arguably Bayern’s best central defender, it seems unlikely that Bayern would let him go without a fight.
How much will he cost Madrid?
As noted, Bayern would be in no mood to sell Hernandez and with a contract at the club until June 2024, the German giants would be able to name their price if Madrid came calling.
As things currently stand, Hernandez is worth €39 million but Bayern would likely demand a fee closer to the €80m they spent on the player in 2019. As such, the France international could end up costing closer to €50m this summer.
