Real Madrid Show Interest in England National Team Defender

Earlier on this week, we spoke about the crisis in central defence for Real Madrid. As it stands, 33-year old Antonio Rudiger is the only centre half at Jose Mourinho’s disposal for the clash with Villarreal after the break.

Now, some of those issues are short term. Dean Huijsen is serving a one game suspension, so he will be back after that game. There is also a hope that Ibrahima Konate’s injury is not too serious.

However, we know that Eder Militao has a seriously bad record on the injury front, and cannot be trusted in that regard. Even when fit, Raul Asencio is not of the required level, and Rudiger - the one available option - will be 34 next season, with his best days behind him.

So, logically, we could see Real Madrid dip into the market in that position next summer. One player they could look to bring in is Bayer Leverkusen and England national team central defender, Jarell Quansah.

Indeed so, as according to German media outlet BILD (via theMadridZone), Real Madrid are closely monitoring Quansah, and they appreciate his ability to play in all positions across the defence.

They point out that Liverpool have a buy back clause worth €70m, that will be active until June the 15th next year. So that is something else to keep an eye on in the meantime.

Well, interesting link. Whilst it is true that he is versatile, you still have to be a top level player in those different positions. Without wanting to sound too harsh, he’s more of a player who is fairly average in a couple of different roles.

He would be the third Englishman on the team, alongside Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold, as well as the second former Liverpool player and academy product - though not directly from the Merseyside club on this occasion.

In the summer of 2025, he joined Bayer Leverkusen after 17 years with Liverpool. The only other team he had previously played for was Bristol Rovers, on loan in 2023.

Last season, he made 44 appearances for Leverkusen across all competitions, and did well enough for himself to be named in England’s 26 man squad for the FIFA World Cup, making three appearances across the tournament as the Three Lions finished in third place.

So, clearly he is not a terrible player, even if this does feel like a weird link. Ah well, let’s wait and see. We know that, despite the concerns at centre half, club policy means there will be no signings (or outgoings) in January, so let’s see what happens next summer.