Real Madrid will have to open talks in the January transfer window if they want to bring back loan defender Rafa Marin from Alaves. After David Alaba was ruled out for the rest of the season, Marin has been suggested as one of the alternatives to cover the position, but bringing the Castilla product back will not be as simple as that.
Relations between Los Blancos and Alaves are good, with Marcos Llorente and Antonio Blanco having both made the same move that Marin did in the past. Diario AS have revealed that there is no recall clause in Marin’s loan deal though, and thus Real Madrid would have to negotiate his return.
El Glorioso are not keen on losing Marin either. The central defender has played 993 minutes, and makes the top 10 in the squad for minutes played. The Basque side have also lost Aleksandar Sedlar to an anterior cruciate ligament injury themselves, and Luis Garcia Plaza will no doubt be reluctant to see a second key defender exit.
No doubt Real Madrid can make it worth Alaves’ while, and likely for a cheaper price than it would cost them to bring in a defender from anywhere else. In doing so, they would be going against Carlo Ancelotti’s wishes though, who has told the club he wants an established talent. Marin has done well this season, but is still cutting his teeth in his first campaign at the top level.
More must-reads: