A stunning report claims Real Madrid have identified a Tottenham centre-back as their No 1 transfer target in January and believe if he agitates for a move, he can be bought for just \u20ac50m.<\/p>\n
Real Madrid<\/a> signed a plethora of new defenders (Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras) over the summer, though the injury bug has once again bitten this season. New and old signings alike are dropping like flies, with Eder Militao the latest to fall.<\/p>\n The Brazilian \u2013 who is arguably the best centre-back at the Bernabeu right now \u2013 will be sidelined for up to four months with a torn hamstring.<\/p>\n Los Blancos are weighing up whether to bring plans to sign a new centre-back forward from the summer to the January window in lieu of the injury blow.<\/p>\n And with Real Madrid no longer pursuing Liverpool\u2019s Ibrahima Konate, a fresh report from E-Noticies<\/a> claims there\u2019s two defenders \u2013 both of whom play in the Premier League \u2013 in their sights.<\/p>\n The first is Crystal Palace\u2019s Marc Guehi, but it\u2019s quickly stressed a move for the Crystal Palace man does NOT have unanimous backing from the club\u2019s key decision-makers.<\/p>\n Instead, the preferred choice is Micky Van de Ven<\/a>, who has arguably been Spurs\u2019 best player this season.<\/p>\n Despite being a centre-back, Van de Ven is remarkably the club\u2019s second top scorer across all competitions with six goals. Only Richarlison has more, and only just with seven.<\/p>\n E-Noticies stated: \u2018Real Madrid\u2019s leadership has already narrowed the list of options down to two top-level defenders.<\/p>\n \u2018The first is\u00a0Marc Guehi, a Crystal Palace centre-back, who \u00a0could arrive at Bernab\u00e9u for about \u20ac30 million.\u00a0Guehi is especially liked by the coaching staff for his ability to anticipate and play cleanly out from the back.<\/p>\n \u2018However, this option doesn\u2019t fully convince the board, who are already considering a much more suitable alternative for what the team needs right now.<\/p>\n \u2018This is\u00a0Micky van de Ven, a Dutch international defender from Tottenham,\u00a0whose signing would be around \u20ac50 million.\u00a0Even though he\u2019s more expensive, his profile fits Real Madrid\u2019s requirements perfectly.<\/p>\n \u2018Van de Ven is fast, aggressive, and very strong in one-on-one duels, essential qualities to cover the huge gap left by \u00c9der Militao.<\/p>\n \u2018In addition, his personality and ability to take on responsibilities in high-pressure situations make him an ideal candidate for Bernab\u00e9u.\u00a0In England, they claim Tottenham would listen to offers if the player pushes to leave.\u2019<\/p>\n What we\u2019re hearing about Van de Ven<\/p>\n Transfer insider, Dean Jones, was recently able to verify Real Madrid\u2019s interest in signing Van de Ven.<\/p>\n However, Jones was also informed Tottenham<\/a> would put up the fight of all fights before selling the player and even if they did, they\u2019ll demand much more than the Spanish media are claiming a deal can be struck for.<\/p>\n Jones told TEAMtalk<\/a>: \u201cVan de Ven has been mentioned in the same way that Madrid have looked at Ibrahima Konate, Dayot Upamecano and Marc Guehi, but it is different because those three players are becoming free agents and that is a market Madrid are very keen to exploit when they can.<\/p>\n \u201cVan de Ven would be a much different situation as he has more than three years remaining on his current deal and the club are hoping to tie him up to a new one, on better terms over an extended period.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, Madrid have the power to turn any player\u2019s head, but they would have to pay big money for him as Spurs really do not want to lose him.<\/p>\n \u201cThey consider his experience and leadership to be absolutely vital, on top of the fact he\u2019s a great defender and can also be a threat in terms of scoring goals.\u201d<\/p>\n Latest Tottenham news \u2013 Frank sack decision \/ Vicario sale and replacements<\/p>\n In other news, The Athletic stated recent discussions amongst Tottenham\u2019s key decision-makers have yielded one conclusion \u2013 Thomas Frank needs more time<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Dane has come under increasing pressure amid a run of seven defeats in 14 matches, but Tottenham have no intention of sacking their manager any time soon.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, sources have revealed Inter Milan\u2019s stance on signing Guglielmo Vicario in the summer of 2026<\/a>, while the Tottenham goalkeeper has been hammered in the Italian media for his performance against Nottingham Forest at the weekend.<\/p>\n