Carlo Ancelotti Eyes Former Player To Address Defense Issues In Winter Transfer U-Turn
Carlo Ancelotti has recently spoken about Real Madrid not utilizing the winter transfer market to make any signings. However, his stance may have changed with the defensive injuries his team has suffered.
Spanish sports newspaper Marca has reported that Ancelotti is looking for a deal to bring back former player Miguel Gutierrez, who is now playing for Spanish team Girona. Is it an attempt to bridge the gap before they splash the cash next summer on players such as Bayern Munch defender Alphonso Davies?
MORE: Real Madrid Leads Race For Bayern Munich Defender Alphonso Davies
Contract Clause Means Miguel Gutierrez Is a Value Signing
Miguel Gutierrez left Real Madrid in 2022, signing for La Liga side Girona. Since his move, he has impressed, helping Blanquivermells to a top-three finish in the league last season and a Champions League spot.
Despite Carlo Ancelotti suggesting there would be no signings in January, Martinez would be a good value signing because Real Madrid inserted a buy-back option in his contract with Girona when he signed.
Real Madrid could pay Girona just $8.7 million to bring him back to his place of birth, with the figure rising around $1 million each season after the 2024-25 campaign.
However, if Girona received a more extensive offer from another club, Real Madrid would need to match that. Los Blancos owns 50% of Martinez's contract, so it would not make sense for them to pay more than the buy-back price.
Miguel Gutiérrez has reached a new level this season. Hitting big creative numbers for Girona.
— Ben Mattinson (@Ben_Mattinson_) November 5, 2024
2 goals & 2 assists in his last 4 games from LB.
The consistency of his delivery from crosses wide, in the half-space and through balls is exceptional.
La Fábrica is so underrated. pic.twitter.com/6rYexmRwhe
If the club were to make a move, it would add another option at left-back, but it would still give Ancelotti some selection headaches. Unless, with the signing, he could move Ferland Mendy to center-back and Eder Militao to the right-back position, freshening up the back line.
We are two months away from the opening of the winter transfer window, so Ancelotti has plenty of time to access the best moves in the struggling defensive area.
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-031bbeb5612ca252e2129722373fa56d.png "Jordan Merritt")
Jordan Merritt is a staff writer for Real Madrid On SI. Before joining On SI, he wrote at Fansided, covering Ole Miss football, basketball, and baseball. He has also written for YardBarker, Heavy Sports, and the official EFL site. Merritt is a big sports fan, spending most of his weekends watching Soccer, the NFL, the NBA, college football/basketball, and others. Before starting his career as a freelance writer, Merritt was an Engineer for over 10 years. He lives in West Yorkshire, England, and is keenly interested in sports trading cards.
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