Maybe for Madrid? 5 potential winter transfer window targets for Real Madrid

It has been an interesting start to the season for Real Madrid. The defending La Liga and Champions League champions have had a mixed opening third of the campaign. While domestically they have been fairly solid, making up the early ground that they lost on arch-rivals Barcelona, they have been flat in Europe, with their games so far including losses to Lille and Liverpool.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side will of course be seeking honors this season, just as a club of Real Madrid’s standing do in every campaign. Their form, though, has not been helped by injury problems, with Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao being two long-term absentees on a longer list of general injuries.

The January window offers teams a chance to assess where they stand and bring in reinforcements should they be necessary, which seems to be the case for Madrid. So, which five players could they target in the upcoming winter transfer window?

5. Virgil van Dijk

Now, this one is entirely circumstantial and would only seem feasible if there are no developments with Virgil van Dijk’s contract situation at Liverpool. The Dutch defender is into the final months of his contract on Merseyside and reports have varied on whether it is close or not to being renewed.

It is most likely that van Dijk re-signs with Liverpool, even if just for a year or two. Though now in his 30s, van Dijk is still one of the world’s best defenders and would be an exceptionally hard talent to replace, especially in the winter window. With Arne Slot’s men running rampant in the Premier League, maybe van Dijk can be convinced to stay.

Still, Barcelona could definitely look towards the defender as an option, especially if they were able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement for the player given that their financial situation would limit any masses of money being spent. Virgil would offer an immense level of both experience and quality to Carlo Ancelotti’s backline, particularly in light of Eder Militao’s injury.

4. Aymeric Laporte

Between 2012 and 2023, Aymeric Laporte had stints with Athletic Bilbao and Manchester City and was one of the continent’s better defenders. A move to Al-Nassr came in 2023 and though the defender has only been in Saudi Arabia for just over a season, there have already been reports that a move back to Europe may be closer than otherwise thought.

Real Madrid will no doubt have their eye on a number of center back targets for the winter window, particularly after Eder Militao went down with yet another long-term injury. Laporte may be one of those names as, given he is now 30 years old, Real may be able to negotiate a fee that would be lower than for a younger defender.

Laporte, as aforementioned, has links to Spain. Though born in France, he moved to Spain at the age of 16 and it was with Bilbao that he established himself as a promising young defender. Perhaps a move back to a country that he is familiar with would be of interest were it to materialize.

3. Diogo Dalot

There has been no secret made about Real Madrid targeting a right-back as a new signing in the coming months. Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vasquez are both advancing into their 30s and the former of those two will be missing the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL injury.

Much has been said of Real’s interest in Trent Alexander-Arnold, which a variety of outlets have reported as genuine. For the Englishman, however, it remains to be seen whether he will move to the Spanish capital or renew his contract with the Anfield side. Were the latter to prove true, then Real would need to turn their attention elsewhere to somebody like, say, Diego Dalot.

The Manchester United full-back, formerly of Porto in his native Portugal, would be moving closer to home were he to head to Madrid and his signing would offer the club a younger option at right-back that they could depend on for years to come.

2. Jonathan Tah

For a similar reason as to why Madrid may target Laporte in the winter, they too may look at Jonathan Tah. The defender has been with Bayer Leverkusen since 2015 and played a crucial role in their triumphant campaign last year where, under Xabi Alonso, they lost just one competitive match across the entire season on their way to winning the Bundesliga and DfB-Pokal.

There have been reports suggesting that Tah will soon leave Leverkusen for some time with Bayern Munich often being cited as the eventual destination for the defender. This is logical, given the German international has spent his entire domestic career thus far in Germany, but a call from Madrid could change things.

Real Madrid have long been a club that many hold in a higher regard to most other domestic sides, such are their prestige and history. Bayern may have their eyes on Tah, but should Madrid decide to pursue a deal for the defender then the Bavarians may find the transfer much harder to accomplish.

1. Trent Alexander-Arnold

Much has been said of Liverpool in the past few months. Jurgen Klopp, their long-serving manager, departed ahead of the campaign and was replaced by former Feyenoord boss Arne Slot, who has guided the Reds to a staggering start to the term both in the Premier League and the Champions League.

Alongside that, though, have been long-running disputes over the contracts of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. The right-back has been a mainstay in the Liverpool first team for almost a decade now, despite only being in his mid-20s. With his contract due to expire, there have long been whispers of a potential move to the Spanish capital with reports suggesting that Real have established Alexander-Arnold as a target.

The English international would bring relative youth to a position that, for Real Madrid, is aging. Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vasquez are both in their 30s now and the former has suffered a long-term injury. Alexander-Arnold would link up with Three Lions teammate Jude Bellingham were he to move, but it remains to be seen whether a move can be agreed for the immensely talented defender.