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Sergio Ramos is yet to renew his contract at Real Madrid and is likely to leave on a free transfer in the summer.
We're well into January now and Real Madrid are yet to reach an agreement with their captain Sergio Ramos over a new contract. The 34-year-old has had an illustrious career at the Santiago Bernabeu and the club will definitely miss him if he decides to pack up and move out at the end of the season.
He is currently in the final months of his contract at Real Madrid and is now free to discuss terms with potential suitors and enter into a pre-contract agreement with any club of his choosing. When Ramos finally leaves, he will leave a void in the heart of the Real Madrid defence that will be difficult to fill.
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On that note, let's take a look at five players who could potentially replace the Real Madrid captain at the Santiago Bernabeu.
5 players who can replace Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid
#5 Diego Carlos
Sevilla defender Diego Carlos is a strong and athletic centre-back who has been a consistent presence in the Andalusians' backline for two seasons now. The Brazilian has played a crucial role in steadying the backline for Sevilla since joining from Nantes in the summer of 2019.
Carlos is a strong presence in the air and is also a pretty good ball-playing centre-back. Unlike Sergio Ramos, Diego Carlos does not have a reckless streak in him and doesn't dive into tackles or pick up cards where it's unwarranted.
He makes some excellent last-ditch tackles too. Diego Carlos is only 27-years-old and has plenty of years of football left in him. He is contracted to Sevilla till 2024 and this will mean that Real Madrid won't be able to sign him for very cheap even though Sevilla are in a poor financial condition.
#4 Pau Torres
23-year-old Pau Torres has been a rock at the back for Villarreal and he has already earned up a call to the Spanish national side. In fact, he did play alongside Sergio Ramos for Spain in this year's UEFA Nations League and could very well be the player who steps into the Real Madrid centre-back's shoes once its vacated.
As a left-footed player, he will bring a great amount of balance to the Real Madrid backline. Torres is excellent with the ball at his feet and loves to spring long balls out into the flanks and through the lines with great accuracy. He is a tall customer and is a big threat from set-pieces.
Pau Torres is tied to Villarreal till 2024 and has a €50 million release clause and he definitely looks like he's worth the initial investment.
#3 Dayot Upamecano
RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano has a lot of admirers in Europe. That's owing to his exceptional performances for the Bundesliga outfit over the course of last season and particularly in their incredible run to the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League last term.
Upamecano is perhaps the most aggressive defender on the list. He is strong, pacy and loves to drive ahead with the ball from the back and is crucial to RB Leipzig's attacking transitions. He is also an excellent passer of the ball. At 22-years-old, Upamecano also has his entire career ahead of him.
The Frenchman has emerged as a transfer target for Manchester United as well. As such, if Real Madrid enter the race to sign him, it will drive his price further up. However, given all his attributes, Dayot Upamecano could be a long-term replacement for Ramos and as far as young defenders go, Los Blancos won't be able to find many players better than him.
#2 Jules Kounde
Jules Kounde is yet another Sevilla centre-back who has emerged as a transfer target for Real Madrid as they desperately seek to find a replacement for Sergio Ramos.
As per Defensa Central, the 22-year-old Frenchman is Zinedine Zidane's preferred long-term successor to Sergio Ramos. It didn't take much time for Jules Kounde to nail down a starting berth at Sevilla since joining from Bordeaux in the summer of 2019.
Sevilla played hardball with Manchester City when they came knocking for Kounde last summer and asked them to pay his release clause of €90 million. However, their financial condition hasn't improved since being hit strongly by the pandemic and as such, they could be forced into selling Kounde for a lesser amount.
#1 David Alaba
The most likely of the lot to take over from Sergio Ramos at the end of the season, David Alaba is expected to join the side in the summer. Despite playing a critical role in Bayern Munich's dominance in Europe and their winning the continental treble, the club and Alaba have not been able to see eye to eye over a fresh contract.
Alaba is now in the final months of his contract and is certain to leave the Bavarians in the summer. According to Marca, he has already agreed terms with Real Madrid and will sign a four-year deal in the summer.
While Alaba is far from a like-for-like replacement for Sergio Ramos, his versatility will be an added bonus to Zinedine Zidane's side. Alaba can play at centre-back and at left-back and has consistently produced the goods for Bayern Munich under Hansi Flick.
Alaba is pacy and intelligent. He often reads the game to perfection and will walk right into Real Madrid's first team should they secure his services.
