Although Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that the Real Madrid squad is closed for the 2024/25 season, the Santiago Bernabéu offices would be working on the possible signing of a player to reinforce the defense.The injury of the young promise, Joan Martínez, added to the long-term absence of David Alaba and the departure of Nacho, have left the center of the merengue defense 'depleted', so from the capital they would be studying the option of hiring Aymeric Laporte to shore up the rearguard. However, the arrival of the Al-Nassr footballer is subject to three specific conditions.
It is known that Laporte is a player highly valued by Carlo Ancelotti and the club's board also likes him. However, the first condition they propose is non-negotiable and is that for the Spaniard to arrive in Madrid, he must do so with the letter of freedom under his arm. The French-born center back signed last year for Al Nassr, who paid Manchester City 27 million euros. His contract is for three seasons and, although the price of his arrival in Saudi Arabia was not that high, they will not let him leave easily. If they fire him now, those in the Middle East would lose more than 50 million euros, something they cannot afford. Despite this, the whites do not intend to pay a transfer and are only considering incorporating him as a free agent.
On the other hand, Laporte will not only have to convince Al-Nassr to let him leave, but he will also have to make an economic effort if he wants to wear the merengue shirt. His three-year contract with the Arabs leaves him with a salary of 24 million euros net each season.An unattainable figure for the Vikings, who in compensation would offer him a longer contract, since maintaining his emoluments would mean 'busting' the salary scale for a player who does not provide the impact or status of stars like Kylian Mbappé or Jude Bellingham. .
Finally, the merengue team needs to be sure of David Alaba's recovery time. Although Courtois and Militao returned in record time, with the Austrian it has been quite the opposite. No two cruciate breaks are the same and the former Bayern Munich player has cartilage affected, which has slowed down his recovery. The Madrid medical team thinks they can count on him being on the field in November at the earliest, but there are no certainties in this regard. Until he returns, Ancelotti will have to work, a priori, with Militao, Rüdiger and Vallejo. He also has the option of delaying Tchouaméni or using the youth players, but he must bet that none of them suffer any physical or sporting inconvenience so as not to put his sporting planning at risk.
An unexpected 'ally'
Taking all of these conditions into account, the operation appears quite complicated for the capital squad. Despite this, Real Madrid could find an ally in Al-Nassr, since since June, Fernando Hierro, legend of the merengue entity, has been the sports director of the Saudi club. From there, they could hold conversations so that he can convince the leaders and facilitate the defender's departure. However, there is nothing concrete yet, so we will have to see how the case evolves in the coming days.