Real Madrid put long-serving defender up for sale

This summer transfer window will bring changes for Real Madrid, amid the emotional departures of Toni Kroos and Nacho Fernández and the excitement surrounding the arrivals of Kylian Mbappé and Endrick. However, AS reports that another man could end a nine-year spell at the club: Jesús Vallejo.

The central defender joined from Real Zaragoza in 2015 as one of the most promising talents in Spanish football. At the time, the club paid €6 million ($6.43 million) to sign the man who had led his team to the play-off final in an ultimately unsuccessful battle for promotion from Segunda División, while also regularly representing Spain on youth level.

Despite his potential, Vallejo now looks set to leave, having made just 31 appearances for the club in nine years. That’s part of the reason why Carlo Ancelotti won’t be counting on him next season, as this is the final season of his current contract, which expires in 2025.

Real Madrid are therefore looking to capitalize on Vallejo and are even accepting low offers for the defender before he leaves for free in 12 months.

Yoro’s imminent arrival

Ancelotti has made it clear that he feels there is no room for Vallejo in his squad despite the departure of captain Nacho. David Alaba’s return to fitness should see him ready for the 2024/2025 season, alongside Antonio Rüdiger and Éder Militão.

The defensive ranks will also be strengthened by the possible arrival of 18-year-old Leny Yoro from Lille. The AS report suggests that talks with the French club are going well, with the asking price closer to the €40 million fee that Los Blancos are said to be willing to pay.

Even in the event that Yoro does not arrive this summer, and the club is in no hurry to push through a deal, Ancelotti prefers his alternatives. That could include the option of Aurelién Tchouameni as a makeshift defender, as experimented in the 2023/2024 season, or alternatively Marvel, from the club’s B team Castilla, called up to the first team.

In any case, the Italian will not call on Vallejo, who has not played for the club since his substitute against Real Valladolid in April 2023. In total, he has started 22 times for Real Madrid, including 15 in La Liga, five in the Copa del Rey and two in the Champions League, but the last time was in May 2022.

Loan periods at Granada, Wolves and Eintracht Frankfurt

During his almost decade-long stay at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, he was loaned to his former club Real Zaragoza, and made two appearances for Granada, as well as playing abroad for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.

In 2023/24 he returned for a third season with Granada, starting the first match of the season against Atlético Madrid. He would make just two more appearances, both off the bench, amid speculation that he could be suffering from mental health issues, with AS putting this down to a rift with his partner as he has not even been named in a matchday squad since. January.

Addressing these claims, he posted on social media: ‘The news published by Aimara G. Gil in Diario AS that María and I have separated is COMPLETELY FALSE. María and I have been in a relationship for twelve years and we have always been together and are still together.’