Real Madrid add 22-year-old central defender wanted by Arsenal and Liverpool to shortlist | OneFootball

Real Madrid are weighing up how to proceed in the summer transfer market, and one of the hottest topics of debate is the centre-back position. Even with Raul Asencio rising from the ashes of an injury crisis, Los Blancos are losing faith in David Alaba, with Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao yet to prove they can make a full recovery from injury.

The name most heavily linked with Los Blancos in defence is Dean Huijsen, who is enjoying an excellent season with Bournemouth. Real Madrid are unsure about spending the €60m required to get him out of Bournemouth though, and with other Premier League sides willing to do so, Real Madrid look increasingly likely to miss out on him.

Image via FT

As per Caught Offside, another option on their radar is Nottingham Forest centre-back Murillo. The 22-year-old, who recently made his Brazil debut, is likely to be a big name in the transfer market this summer, and if Los Blancos do move for him, they will have Arsenal and Liverpool as competitors. Chelsea, the main contenders for Huijsen, have also looked at Murillo. Liverpool are looking for a long-term successor to Virgil van Dijk, and Arsenal are wary of losing Jakub Kiwior and Gabriel Magalhaes this summer.

It should be noted that his price tag is thought to be around €80m, which would seem to rule him out of contention for Los Blancos if that is the case. While they are open to spending big on young players, given their reluctance to do so on Leny Yoro and now Huijsen, it would be a surprise if they went all out for Murillo. He appears to be in a similar boat to William Saliba at Arsenal and Castello Lukeba at RB Leipzig, with Real Madrid looking at Saliba as an option if his contract runs down.