Real Madrid have seemingly received a boost in their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah, whose agent said that the defender will join a big club in the summer.
The 28-year-old enjoyed an invincible season under the management of Xabi Alonso in 2023-24, snatching the league crown from Bayern Munich and becoming the first Bundesliga team to go unbeaten across an entire domestic campaign.
Tah was pivotal for Leverkusen, starting 30 of 34 league games while also chipping in with four goals and one assist.
If Alonso was to stay with the title winners beyond this season, he could be left with a defensive headache given the centre-back is out of contract in the summer and is set to leave the club for free, with Bayern touted as one potential destination.
However, it has been suggested that Real Madrid could be in the market for Tah's signature following comments from the centre-back's agent Pini Zahavi that his client will move to a big club in the summer, and according to Marca, the Spanish champions could swoop in for the German after their injury crisis this season.
"Next summer he will go to a big club, Bayern still have excellent chances to sign him. He will go to a big club next summer," Zahavi told reporters.
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Injuries galore
Carlo Ancelotti may have won two Champions League titles since returning to manage Los Blancos for a second spell in 2021, but the Italian has come under significant scrutiny this campaign.
His side are currently second-placed with 27 points in La Liga, six points behind leaders Barcelona, and recently lost 3-1 against AC Milan in the Champions League on November 5.
Though Ancelotti has struggled to find the right balance in the forward line between the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, Los Blancos currently have just one senior centre-back and two senior full-backs fit.
Defender Eder Militao was stretchered off against Osasuna on Saturday as a result of what could be a serious knee injury, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is likely to be unavailable until next season.
Even holding midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who has experience playing in the heart of defence, is expected to miss out for the next month, and it is difficult to see how centre-back Antonio Rudiger can manage in the absence of so many key defensive players.
Though adding Tah to the Los Blancos squad will not solve their issues this campaign, it could help prevent a repetition of this season's crisis.
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Competition from Bayern
While Tah's acquisition could be a shrewd signing by Real, the German is likely to have a number of suitors in the summer.
Indeed, Bayern have been credited with a long-standing interest in the centre-back, with claims that he would have joined the Bavarians this term had Leverkusen lowered their asking price.
Vincent Kompany's side appear to be Los Blancos' strongest competitors for Tah's signature, but given clubs such as Manchester City are also facing injury crises, it would not be surprising if more teams entered the race.
Perhaps Tah could be persuaded to move to Spain if his current manager also makes the switch to Madrid in 2025, as has long been rumoured.
With the defender out of contract at the end of the season, there is no doubt that the battle for his signing will be fierce in 2025.
Lewis Nolan
