Revealed: the star Real Madrid really want from Man Utd

FT Desk

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:56 CDT
• 3 min read

Jorge Mendes has offered Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid following his release from Manchester United and Karim Benzema's injury, but there is a star still at Old Trafford whom they would rather sign…

Ronaldo is Real's all-time record goalscorer with 450 goals in all competitions, and a move to re-sign him for a six-month stint might hold a certain amount of water given his successor as first-choice striker at the Bernabeu, Benzema, faces a spell on the sidelines with a torn thigh muscle.

Ronaldo is currently without a club after his release by Man Utd following a scathing interview with Piers Morgan on the eve of the World Cup, and Real could comfortably afford his wages, especially with no transfer fee involved.

READ: Casillas throws weight behind Ronaldo Real Madrid transfer

The path from United to Real is a well-trodden one, with David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Gabriel Heinze all having made the move during the "Galactico" era in the Spanish capital.

Heinze was a diminutive left-footed centre-back from Argentina, and a generation on, Real are scouting another in the same mould at Old Trafford in the shape of Lisandro Martinez.

"Lisandro Martinez is in the crosshairs of Real Madrid," Tweeted Argentine transfer journalist Hernan Cabrera earlier this week, confirming recent reports from Spanish outlets Mundo Deportive and Fichajes.

READ: Should Man Utd be worried by Lisandro Martinez’s lack of height?

Martinez only joined Man Utd in the summer, following his coach Erik ten Hag from Ajax for a €57.4 million fee. His value has since climbed to €59.1m per Football Transfers' in-house algorithm following an impressive start to the campaign with the Red Devils.

Real's interest would seem to make sense. While Eder Militao is the future at right centre-back, David Alaba, who most frequently partners him on the left of central defence, turns 31 in June, while Antonio Rudiger, who arrived on a free from Chelsea last summer, hasn’t fully won coach Carlo Ancelotti's trust.

Whether United would be willing to part with Martinez so soon after signing him is another matter entirely, however.