It’s no secret that Real Madrid are keen to secure the services of a new central defender during this summer’s transfer window, as they seek to address the defensive woes that have had a significant impact on their poor form over the last two seasons. However, their search has been far from straightforward, with a number of top targets having already been missed out on.
Marc Guehi, Dayot Upamecano and Nico Schlotterbeck have already come and gone in terms of options considered by Real Madrid, and it’s also expected that Ibrahima Konate will sign a new Liverpool contract, thus ruling him out of a move to the Bernabeu. This would leave Los Blancos back at square one, although they have been looking into new opportunities in recent weeks.
Moves have been made towards a [possible summer deal for Josko Gvardiol](https://www.football-espana.net/2026/05/10/real-madrid-contact-agent-man-city-defender), but he’s not the only Manchester City defender that Real Madrid are interested in. According to [CaughtOffside](https://www.caughtoffside.com/2026/05/28/ruben-dias-man-city-real-madrid/), they’re also following the situation of Ruben Dias, who is said to be open to leaving the Premier League side in wake of Pep Guardiola’s exit.
Dias, who is also wanted by Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, would welcome exploring a new challenge in the summer after six years with Man City. He’s reportedly asked his agent to explore a move away, which has alerted Real Madrid and the aforementioned European giants to his situation at the Etihad Stadium.
Real Madrid would seek cut-price Dias deal
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Given that Dias is 29, it would be a surprise if Real Madrid were to be willing to pay full-price to sign him from Man City. When it comes to older players, the Bernabeu club generally look to secure market opportunities, meaning that the Portugal international would need to push hard to leave if he wants to end up in the Spanish capital by the end of the summer.