Regardless of who ends up being the head coach of Real Madrid next season, the club’s sporting department continues to analyze which positions are a priority to reinforce… and one of them is left back. Fran García hasn’t convinced, and Mendy’s physical condition is always a concern. For that reason, the offices at the Santiago Bernabéu have spent several weeks evaluating different player profiles to strengthen that position and, according to Diario AS, Álvaro Carreras, currently playing for Benfica, has emerged as the top candidate.

Real Madrid let Álvaro Carreras slip away

The truth is, Álvaro Carreras is a name well known at Real Madrid. In 2017, he was signed from Deportivo de La Coruña to the club’s youth academy, where he quickly made a name for himself as one of the most promising prospects from La Fábrica, and during his three seasons at Real Madrid, he managed to score more than 100 goals playing as a left back.

At Real Madrid, no one doubted that, sooner or later, he would make his debut with the first team. However, everyone was surprised when, in September 2020, he accepted an offer to join the academy at Manchester United, where they promised him a more solid career project. Nevertheless, he never made his first-team debut there and instead went on various loans to Preston North End and Granada… until he arrived at Benfica, which didn’t hesitate to pay six million euros to acquire his services—though Manchester United kept a buy-back clause just under 20 million euros.

Real Madrid would propose a deal to Manchester United

Now, after shining brightly in the Champions League and establishing himself as one of the breakout stars of the season in European football, his market value has skyrocketed, and Benfica is unwilling to negotiate a sale below the 60 million euros stated in his release clause. In fact, it was recently revealed that the club offered him a contract extension with the goal of increasing that amount. However, Carreras turned down the offer, making it clear that he intends to leave Benfica.

At Real Madrid, they are considering whether to pay the 60 million euro release clause to Benfica. However, they are also exploring alternative ways to complete the deal… and that’s where Manchester United comes into play. According to Diario AS, Real Madrid is considering a deal with Manchester United in which they would activate their buy-back option for 20 million euros and then transfer him to Real Madrid for a lower amount than the 60 million clause. Otherwise, Real Madrid may begin exploring other options like Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth) or bringing back Miguel Gutiérrez (Girona).