Real Madrid eyeing £15 million market opportunity to replace injured defender in January – report

If the defeat against Celta Vigo at Santiago Bernabeu was not enough, Real Madrid’s situation could turn significantly worse in the coming days as they face two daunting clashes across competitions.

First, they host Manchester City at home in the UEFA Champions League and then play against Deportivo Alaves in La Liga. What complicates matters, however, is the thin defence Alonso is left with ahead of the games.

A combination of injuries and suspensions leaves the coach with limited options in both games, and it is clear that Eder Militao’s injury is one of the most concerning contributing factors.

After all, the Brazilian has again been ruled out for four months and leaves the manager with limited options in the department.

As relayed by Defensa Central in a recent report, the Real Madrid administration are not completely against signing a new defender in January given the club’s situation and are willing to make an exception on the unsaid rule of not signing players mid-season.

On that front, they are looking out for a top-quality centre-back who can serve not only as a temporary fix but a permanent solution – essentially preponing the priority of signing a new starting defender in the summer by six months.

Eder Militao is out for four months. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate, thus, has emerged as a serious option to replace Militao’s replacement in January and Liverpool ar reportedly open to selling him for a small fee to avoid losing him as a free agent in June. That sum stands at £15 million.

Recent weeks have seen Los Blancos doubt Konate’s signing given the centre-back’s relative lack of form and inconsistent fitness.

The Militao injury, however, was not something they saw coming and the situation is now seen to be an emergency.

After all, Alaba’s constant fitness setbacks and Militao being ruled out leave Alonso with Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rudiger, Raul Asencio and Joan Martinez as the only possible options in the department.

Konate and Liverpool have not been in great form so fa this season and the club’s initial hesitation towards signing him is understandable.

If he is indeed the only option available in January, however, the men in white should look past his recent frailties and focus on his decent track record in the medium term.