Liverpool have received positive and negative news on the centre-back transfer front, with Real Madrid now interested in Borussia Dortmund star Nico Schlotterbeck.
The 26-year-old has been on the Reds’ radar for quite some time, but it will not be straightforward to sign him.
According to Spanish outlet AS, Real Madrid’s sporting directors have been paying close attention to the German central defender.
They report that “their monitoring has intensified in recent weeks , and his performances are increasingly convincing at Valdebebas. Several teams are pursuing the German, includingBarcelona. The race has just begun.”
Signing an elite centre-back is “top priority” for Madrid’s recruitment team, but in good news for Liverpool, they are no longer chasing Konate but rather Schlotterbeck.
This is also bad news for Liverpool, because the Reds have been scouting him as well. A recent report suggested that Schlotterbeck would prefer to join Real Madrid if they expressed interest in signing him.
Liverpool need to get centre-back recruitement spot on this summer
The 2026 summer transfer window is one of the most important in recent years, with many top teams across Europe underperforming. There isn’t really a team in Europe that is entirely happy with its team.
Liverpool are firmly among this group. They spent £460m last summer but face more upheaval this summer. Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk will be in the final year of their contracts when the season ends while there are several areas of the squad that need investment.
Centre-back is one of the most important positions, given that Jarell Quansah is yet to be replaced, Ibrahima Konate is yet to sign a new contract and Joe Gomez is likely to leave Anfield in the summer.
It remains to be seen if FSG and Konate can reach an agreement on a new contract or if he will leave for free at the end of the season.
It would be a major failure on the owners’ part to see another world-class player leave for free after Trent Alexander-Arnold joined Real Madrid in the summer.
After a massive investment in the transfer window last summer, it feels as though a similarly massive injection of cash will be needed to complete the transformation of this squad.