Real Madrid unwilling to pay €40m asking price for defender – Football España

Real Madrid are expected to sign a new centre-back in the last 12 months, although they appear set to miss out on two of their targets. Vitor Reis is edging closer to Manchester City, while Uzbek international Abdukodir Khusanov is also on the radar of the defending Premier League champions.

Real Madrid took interest in Khusanov a few weeks ago, but since then, a whole host of other clubs have also entered the race. As a result, RC Lens have upped their asking price to €40m, which is a figure that Los Blancos are currently unwilling to pay, as per Diario AS.

The signing of a new central defender is not presently a priority for Real Madrid, given that they now have Antonio Rudiger, Aurelien Tchouameni, David Alaba and Raul Asencio as options for the remainder of the season. However, a long-term successor is needed, and while Khusanov would have been an excellent fit for that, the chances of him arriving at the Santiago Bernabeu are getting slimmer.