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As reported just a while back, Real Madrid have accepted that they need to sign a new centre-back at the earliest possible given the lack of depth in the department.
Names like Vitor Reis, Aymeric Laporte, and Castello Lukeba are said to be on the agenda with Los Blancos looking to bring in a new player in January if possible or in the summer.
Jorrel Hato also on the radars
Building on that, MARCA’s Jose Felix Diaz now reports that another name that Real Madrid are interested in to reinforce their defence is AFC Ajax teenager Jorrel Hato.
As per the report, analysis within the club has shown a drop in the performance levels of the current centre-backs – Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger, with the belief that the pair might have relaxed after feeling very secure about their positions.
As such, the idea is to bring in more competition for the centre-back duo, with Los Blancos admitting that deploying Aurelien Tchouameni as a defender is not the solution.
To that end, Jorrel Hato has emerged as a candidate for the Spanish and European champions, along with the aforementioned Lukeba and Reis.
Just 18 years old, Hato stands out because of his left-footed nature and is regarded as one of the best young defenders in Europe.
Already a mainstay for Ajax, the youngster has made 74 senior appearances, even chipping in with three goals while he is also carving a place for himself in the Netherlands national team.
Hato, though, has a contract with Ajax that runs until the summer of 2028 – a deal that he signed in March earlier this year.
So, it could take a significant amount of money for Real Madrid to convince Ajax to part ways with one of their best academy products in recent years.
