Real Madrid have reportedly planned to complete a pre-contract agreement with Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano by the end of January.
The 27-year-old is one of the top defenders in the Bundesliga, leading to interest from clubs around Europe, with the player "very grateful" to receive such attention.
Upamecano has played a key part in the Bavarians' excellent start to the 2025-26 campaign, despite their defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League at the end of November.
Vincent Kompany's men have commenced their top-flight schedule with a 12-game unbeaten run, allowing them to pull eight points clear of second-placed RB Leipzig.
Upamecano and Bayern Munich begin their festive fixture list with a DFB Pokal trip to Union Berlin on Wednesday night.
© Imago / Nordphoto
Real Madrid look to January for Upamecano agreement?
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Real Madrid have devised their strategy surrounding the capture of Bayern Munich star Upamecano.
The report claims that Los Blancos club president Florentino Perez hopes to wrap a deal up for the Frenchman before the end of January.
Yet to sign a contract renewal at Allianz Arena, Upamecano's current terms expire in the summer of 2026.
As a result, the 27-year-old is able to arrange a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of Germany from January 1 onwards.
Real Madrid are supposedly looking to take advantage of this rule to sort out a free transfer of Upamecano to the Bernabeu ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
© Imago / Visionhaus
Shifting priorities for Real Madrid
At the beginning of this season, it appeared as if Real Madrid were honing in on the signing of Liverpool and France centre-back Ibrahima Konate.
However, with the defender struggling for form at Anfield this term, Los Blancos have supposedly turned their attentions to other targets ahead of the 2026 windows.
A stalwart for arguably one of the best sides in Europe, Upamecano fits the bill for Real Madrid and could become an instant hit at the Bernabeu.