Real Madrid Finds Ramos Successor But Outright Acquisition Unlikely

Real Madrid knows that they have to skim the market for a replacement for 34-year-old Sergio Ramos. And it appears Zinedine Zidane has found the right guy in Dayot Upamecano of RB Leipzig. The only problem is that they may have to wait until next summer to snag the French national.

According to AS, the performance of Upamecano during the Champions League convinced Zizou that he is the man that Real Madrid as the eventual replacement for Ramos. He is one of the most coveted center-backs in football right now and several clubs have the 21-year-old on their wish list.

However, Upamecano is committed to RB Leipzig until 2023. But for teams who plan to pry him away from the Red Bull Arena, Die Roten Bullen has set a $53 million asking fee for Upamecano. Under normal circumstances, that is a reasonable fee for any team. But factoring in the financial woes that all clubs are dealing with right now, most are expected to second-think spending that large at the moment.

The same case holds true for Real Madrid. Los Blancos has no plans to spend big this summer transfer window and may have to wait until next year to make a big splurge. If that is the case, the chances of seeing the 21-year-old come to Santiago Bernabeu may take a dip with other clubs possibly making their move as early as now.

For Real, the fact that they still have Raphael Varane and Eder Militao as alternatives to Ramos hint that they do not have to skim the market for replacements for Ramos. Both will get their chances to prove that although Real could be better off looking for a new defender to succeed the club captain.

For now, the interest in Upamecano is an option. But according to a report from Kicker, RB Leipzig has no immediate plans of letting Upamecano go. Sporting director Markus Krosche plans to keep the French central defender for the coming season, the reason why he was given a contract extension to begin with.

"He will definitely stay with us for next season," Krösche said. "You don't extend your contract just to leave right away."