Florentino Pérez has decided to go to the market in search of a central defender. Sergio Ramos, now out of contract, is being talked about a lot. However, the reality is that Real Madrid is not seriously considering his return. There is an option on the table that is much more popular. He plays for Valencia and would be available at a very affordable price: Cristhian Mosquera.
Sport has revealed that Florentino has relaunched the option of Cristhian Mosquera for Real Madrid. He claims that he is a player who "is going big", enough to join the white club. He is 20 years old and his contract with Valencia ends in 2026. It seems that his intention would be to leave there as soon as possible. In his last renewal, his clause went from 25 to 80 million euros but his real exit price is much lower.
Given Valencia's delicate financial situation, the club would be willing to let Mosquera go for a figure of around 25-30 million. This is precisely the maximum price that Florentino Pérez wants to pay in the search for a young and promising center-back, so he fits in several key aspects. He also has the backing of Vinícius Júnior, who has him under control and believes that he can become a very good defender soon.
Cristhian Mosquera is an undisputed starter at Valencia: He has played 11 games this season, but he would be willing to leave in January to join a very interested Real Madrid.
Sergio Ramos Ruled Out; Florentino is Clear: Cristian Mosquera Or...
What is clear at Madrid is that Sergio Ramos is not a real option to reinforce the defense. Florentino will not listen to the center-back's supporters, no matter how hard they try. Florentino has other plans and two players seem to be in the lead. In fact, it is not even ruled out that both could arrive. One is Cristhian Mosquera, from Valencia, who would fit the young and promising profile that Bernabéu is looking for. The other one is Aymeric Laporte, a veteran and international with Spain.
The always well-informed Ramón Álvarez de Mon has discovered this. On his X account, he has revealed that Aymeric Laporte "is positioned as Real Madrid's main target for the January market." At the moment, nothing has been done but "there have already been contacts" that took place before Éder Militão's injury, trying to find out his current availability.
Florentino Pérez is clear that he is the ideal center-back to land at Real Madrid, partly because of his price. He has considered other possibilities but they are all too expensive. In the case of Aymeric Laporte, the intention would be to close a transfer that would be around 10 or 12 million euros. In this sense, Al-Nassr would have to give its approval. We are talking about the team where the Spanish center-back has a contract until 2026.
In this regard, Florentino is clear: he loves Cristhian Mosquera, he is supported by Vinícius Júnior and would be welcomed at Real Madrid. However, everything will depend on Valencia when negotiations actually begin, so far, there's nothing at all.