Real Madrid have made Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries their top target and held talks with the 27-year-old as they look to firm up their defence before the club’s presidential election. The move is being lined up with an eye on Sunday, when Madrid hope to conclude the deal if Florentino Perez is declared the winner.
Dumfries, who has a €20million release clause, fits a role Madrid have been trying to define for months: a reliable right-sided option who can arrive without consuming the kind of money reserved for a marquee signing. People briefed on the negotiations say personal terms are not expected to be a problem, which has helped push him to the front of the queue in Italy fc transfer planning.
The timing matters because Madrid’s back line is being reshaped at speed. David Alaba is due to leave on a free transfer this summer, Eder Militao has continued to battle fitness issues and Dani Carvajal is set to depart when his contract expires at the end of June. That would leave Trent Alexander-Arnold as the club’s only senior recognised right-back unless a replacement is in place.
Madrid have also been working on the centre of defence, and that has brought Ibrahima Konate back into the picture. The club had previously considered the Liverpool defender, then told Liverpool late last year they were no longer interested. That position has now changed, and Madrid have reignited their interest as they look for a centre-back before opening deeper negotiations with Jose Mourinho, whose own brief has centered on tightening the defence.
Konate is set to leave Liverpool as a free agent when his contract expires on June 30, after talks over a new deal stretched back to October 2024. He told reporters in April that he was close to an agreement, but the situation has since shifted again. Madrid’s revived interest is a reminder that the club is trying to solve two problems at once: a right side that needs immediate cover and a centre of defence that is losing experience.
There is still a catch. Madrid want Dumfries first, but their preferred right-back profile is a secondary option available for around €30million, and they have looked at Tottenham Hotspur’s Pedro Porro and Sporting CP’s Ivan Fresneda as alternatives. Spurs, however, are not understood to be open to selling Porro for a fee that would fit Madrid’s budget. If Perez wins on Sunday, Dumfries could be the first piece of the rebuild to move, with the rest of the defensive reshuffle expected to follow quickly after.
