Real Madrid have reportedly deployed their chief scout to run the rule over Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur defenders during Sunday's Premier League North London derby.
Despite losing the long-serving Nacho Fernandez at the end of the 2023-24 season, Los Blancos opted against signing a new centre-back in the summer window, where Endrick and Kylian Mbappe were their only arrivals.
The reigning Champions League and La Liga holders were thought to have been in prime position to sign Leny Yoro from Lille, but they never agreed a fee with their French counterparts, who ultimately sold him to Manchester United.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti decided that he was satisfied with his central options of David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao and Jesus Vallejo, while 19-year-old Jacobo Ramon is also involved in the first-team picture.
Alaba is still on the mend from his ACL problem, though, and Vallejo does not appear to have a long-term future at the Bernabeu, meaning that central reinforcements are expected to be a priority in 2025.
Real Madrid 'to scout William Saliba, Cristian Romero' in North London derby
© Imago
According to Defensa Central Real Madrid's chief scout Juni Calafat will be in attendance at Sunday's North London derby, where he will be keeping an eye on the displays of William Saliba and Cristian Romero.
Los Blancos supposedly regard both centre-backs as players with 'enormous potential', although they are currently prioritising a deal for Saliba due to his age and belief that he could end up becoming a 'better' defender.
Furthermore, Real Madrid are anticipating an extremely difficult period of negotiations with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy for Romero, who like Saliba still has three years left to run on his contract.
Unlike in La Liga, where release clauses are often included in a player's contract as standard, neither Saliba nor Romero possess a buyout option, meaning that Arsenal and Tottenham would hold all the cards in negotiations.
Real Madrid have supposedly ruled out spending a world-record €100m (£84.5m) on either player, though, as they believe that such fees should be reserved for attackers or midfielders rather than defenders.
© Imago
However, should Los Blancos have a change of heart and pull off the nine-figure signing of Romero or Saliba, they would become the most expensive centre-back of all time, a title currently held by Josko Gvardiol following his €90m (£76m) switch to Manchester City in 2023.
Are Saliba, Romero worth world-record money?
In the case of Saliba in particular, Arsenal are arguably well-positioned to demand a world-record fee for a defender, as there is a consensus that the Frenchman is now one of the best centre-backs on the planet.
Still just 23 years old, the former Saint-Etienne starlet has also finally become an undisputed starter for his country - which only bumps up his value further - although it would be a shock to see Arsenal consider any offers world-record or not.
Tottenham could also expect to make a healthy profit if they ever sold Romero, who joined the Lilywhites from Atalanta BC for £43.9m in 2022 after a successful loan, although he is three years Saliba's senior.
The Argentina international's rash nature has been well-documented too, so an £80m+ move may be out of the question for him, but Tottenham will certainly pull out all the stops to keep him if Real Madrid do come knocking.
Ben Knapton
