Recently, there have been reports from both Spanish and Saudi press indicating that Real Madrid is aiming to sign Aymeric Laporte, a defender from Al-Nassr, during the current summer transfer window. The royal club's interest in acquiring the Spanish defender stems from several reasons, primarily his impressive performances with the national team in the recent European Championship, along with the failed Leni Euro transfer, which saw him join Manchester United.
Despite Laporte's joining Al-Nassr last summer, the initiation of verbal negotiations by Real Madrid for his transfer has prompted him to request a departure from the "global" team, in addition to waiving his salary to fulfill his dream of wearing the royal jersey. However, there are several obstacles preventing Laporte's move to Madrid, particularly Al-Nassr's desire to obtain the amount they paid to Manchester City for the Spanish defender in the summer of 2023, which is approximately €27 million.
Looking at the deal, it appears challenging for the royal club to present an official offer equivalent to what Al-Nassr paid for Laporte due to the club's policy in recent years of reserving such amounts for young talents only. A good example of this is the signing of Vinicius Junior from Flamengo in the summer of 2018 for €45 million, which is the same amount spent on the Rodrigo deal from Santos the following summer, among other talents.
Moreover, Real Madrid tends not to invest large sums in older players and prefers to wait until players’ contracts expire, acquiring them for free, as was the case with Austrian David Alaba in 2021 and German Antonio Rudiger a season later. Thus, Al-Nassr will find it very difficult for Real Madrid to submit an official offer and pay the requested amount, prompting Aymeric Laporte to exert significant pressure for a financial settlement with "the global team."
At the same time, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez could surprise everyone, as he often does during transfer windows, by agreeing to Al-Nassr's request and purchasing the player's contract, which will expire in 2026. This surprise could occur due to coach Carlo Ancelotti's desire to add a new defender, given David Alaba's recurring injuries, the fluctuating performance of Brazilian Eder Militao upon his return from injury, and the departure of Nacho Fernandez to Al-Qadisiyah.
