Real Madrid face new competition in race to sign 28-year-old defender as Serie A giants show interest: Reports

Real Madrid will reportedly face competition from Juventus in the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah. According to SPORT (via Yahoo Sports), the Italian outfit want to to sign the German defender in the upcoming January transfer window.

Tah's current contract at Bayer Leverkusen will expire next summer. As a result, Juventus would prefer to sign Tah in January rather than compete with other clubs as they try to sign him as a free agent next summer.

The Bianconeri's centre-back options Pierre Kalulu and Danilo's contracts will also expire next summer. Tah could be a decent replacement if the Juventus hierarchy fail to extend both players' deals. The Italian outfit's interest is believed to be due to Gleison Bremer suffering a serious knee injury.

According to a report by Tribuna, Real Madrid are willing to wait to sign Tah on a free transfer next summer. The defender is yet to sign a contract extension at Bayer Leverkusen and this could be an indication that he might be considering his options in the transfer market.

When you evaluate Real Madrid's centre-back options, it can be said that there's a need to enhance the depth as their defenders have struggled with fitness in recent times.

While Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and Jesus Vallejo are fit, David Alaba is currently recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that could keep him out till next year. However, Vallejo has only featured once for Real Madrid this season and his current contract will expire next summer.

Tah could be a decent option, given his experience, as he played a pivotal role in Bayer Leverkusen's title-winning campaign in the 2023-24 season.

In the ongoing Bundesliga campaign, Tah has been solid in defense for the Bundesliga giants, winning 20 out of 28 ground duels. He has registered 18 clearances and has won 13 aerial duels while making 10 appearances across competitions.

Real Madrid need to improve ahead of their clash against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League

RM CF v Villarreal CF - La Liga EA Sports - Source: Getty

Having won just one of their opening two matches in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League 2024-25 campaign, there's a need for the Los Blancos to improve. The LaLiga outfit defeated VfB Stuggart 3-1 in the UCl opener before losing 1-0 to Lille.

Los Blancos will host Borussia Dortmund in the upcoming round of the Champions League fixtures on Tuesday, October 22. Borussia Dortmund have secured two wins in the Champions League this season and are at the top of the standings with six points.

Real Madrid will face Celta Vigo in the league tonight (October 19) and will look to gain some momentum ahead of their clash against Dortmund.