Real Madrid believe they have the perfect combination in Antonio Rudiger – a fiercely competitive winner, and a free transfer.
The club see the Chelsea man as this summer’s David Alaba with the Austrian combining those same qualities in last year’s pre-season.
While some clubs focus on expensive additions to the centre of their defence (Sevilla pair Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos are likely to provoke a mini bidding war this summer), and Barcelona looking for a free transfer but concentrating on ball-playing centre-backs such as Andreas Christensen, Madrid want someone who fits a frugal spending plan on almost anyone not Kylian Mbappe, and someone who they think has the club’s winning mentality.