Real Madrid target – ‘Contract renewal is not close’

Real Madrid are prioritising a central defender this summer, but it is not yet clear whom they will eventually pursue. Their priority target was at one stage set to be Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano, but the French international signed a new deal with the Bavarian giants in February, committing his future to them. A number of targets of have been cited in connection with Los Blancos, including the likes of Castello Lukeba, Nico Schlotterbeck and Ibrahima Konate. The Liverpool defender was initially discarded by Los Blancos as an option, but following Upamecano’s renewal, and being available on a free, Konate appears to be back on the agenda in Madrid. The other player that Real Madrid have been most closely linked with is Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck. In recent weeks it had been rumoured that Schlotterbeck was closing in on a new contract in Germany with Dortmund. The 26-year-old’s deal is up in 2027, and as he approaches the final year of his deal, that situation is what has alerted a number of t