Real Madrid's centre-back plan is being held up by Raúl Asencio. The club want departures before they add another defender, Alessandro Bastoni remains the prize, and Al-Hilal Saudi FC are now in the conversation too.

Real Madrid's centre-back logjam

The simple part is the squad count. Real Madrid already have five recognised central defenders in the first-team squad, and that is why another arrival is tied to an exit first.

Asencio is the one at the centre of it. Madrid are not moving on to a new centre-back until he is moved on, but his position is not neatly settled. Ramon Alvarez de Mon said on Ruben Martin's YouTube channel that Asencio's agent, Jorge Mendes, has started exploring opportunities that would at least match the defender's current salary.

There is also evidence of how heavily Madrid leaned on him last season. Asencio made 46 appearances in the 2024-25 campaign. Another report listed him on 34 appearances last term, which is enough to show why this is not a clean break, even with the club trying to thin the position.

Bastoni, Inter and the Saudi pressure

Bastoni is the target Madrid like, and the price is not small. Inter are demanding around €75 million for the defender.

The Italian club have little reason to make this easy either. Inter are top of Serie A, and Bastoni is under contract until June 2028. Sky Sport Italy also reported that Al-Hilal have emerged as potential suitors, closely monitoring the defender.

That adds another layer, even if the Saudi route is not straightforward. Bastoni is said to be reluctant to leave Inter, and Gianluca Di Marzio said a move would remain extremely unlikely because he is only 27 and does not want a switch to the Saudi Pro League at this stage of his career. Al-Hilal would also need to offload one of their existing foreign players to comply with the league's overseas quota.

Real Madrid still have the cleaner football case if they can sort out their own squad first. Asencio has become the gatekeeper to the move, and until that changes, Bastoni stays a target rather than a signing.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →