Real Madrid ready to hijack Amorim’s first Man Utd transfer, with major January coup assured

Real Madrid WILL sign a new centre-back in January and a fresh update has confirmed Carlo Ancelotti’s side are in the mix for a player Manchester United have already made contact with.

According to Spanish outlet AS, Real Madrid have already decided they must sign a new centre-half in the upcoming winter window. That decision has been taken on the back of Eder Militao suffering a season-ending ACL injury.

Aymeric Laporte (Al-Nassr), Castello Lukeba (RB Leipzig) and Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen) are all on the club’s radar.

The latter of that trio won the Bundesliga with Leverkusen last term and per separate reports in Spain, is the subject of interest from Man Utd.

With Ruben Amorim taking charge and primed to implement a back three, Man Utd are on the hunt for another option at the heart of defence.

Contact with Tah’s camp has reportedly already been made. But according to a fresh update from Sky Germany, Man Utd’s hopes of signing Tah and making him the first addition in the Amorim era could crumble at the hands of Real Madrid.

Taking to X, reporter Florian Plettenberg wrote: “Jonathan Tah is indeed on Real Madrid’s list among other options.”

Plettenberg stressed no “concrete” negotiations regarding Tah’s proposed move to the Bernabeu have taken place just yet. However, the reporter added a January transfer “could become a real possibility.”

READ MORE: Six Man Utd players who could benefit from Ruben Amorim being appointed as next manager

Why Man Utd want Tah / icon’s return ruled out

One option that has been floated for Real Madrid is to simply re-sign club icon Sergio Ramos to cover Militao’s injury absence. Ramos is readily available as a free agent.

AS and Plettenberg both stressed Real Madrid will NOT re-sign Ramos, with the club determined to sign a player who can contribute for the long haul and not represent a short-term solution.

Tah, 28, is in the final year of his contract at Leverkusen and looks on course to leave at some stage in 2025.

A January sale – albeit at a cut-price rate given his dwindling contract – would represent Leverkusen’s final chance to cash in.

Man Utd appear well covered at centre-back on a surface level at present. Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs De Ligt, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Leny Yoro and Jonny Evans are all on the books.

However, Maguire, Evans and Lindelof are all in the final year of their respective contracts. There is a club option to extend Maguire’s stay by 12 months.

TEAMtalk understands there is a genuine possibility all three of Maguire, Lindelof and Evans are cut loose at season’s end.

With Amorim favouring a back three, the signing of Tah – potentially in January – would represent a case of Man Utd putting their house in order ahead of time.

HAVE YOU SEEN: Five Man Utd players who could suffer from Ruben Amorim being appointed as next manager

Latest Man Utd news – Van Nistelrooy shelved / Amorim’s Starting XI

In other news, Man Utd have confirmed Ruud van Nistelrooy will not form part of Amorim’s coaching staff.

Van Nistelrooy led Man Utd to three wins and one draw while serving as manager in an interim capacity, though Amorim wants his own trusted allies in key backroom positions.

Elsewhere, and in a boost for United fans, football finance expert Stefan Borson has suggested Amorim will have money to spend on new signings this winter.

Finally, TEAMtalk has taken a deep dive into what Amorim’s starting line-up is expected to look like prior to any additions in the transfer market.

Jonathan Tah a pass master at Bayer Leverkusen