Why Raul Asencio’s Surgery Disrupts Real Madrid’s January Transfer Plans

Raúl Asencio has undergone successful surgery on his tibia and will now begin a process of recovery expected to take up to four months.

The 23-year-old has not featured for Madrid in 2026–27 and last played for the club in the final La Liga game of last season back in May.

MARCA report the issue, a stress fracture in his right leg, had been bothering Asencio since January, while other treatments had proven ineffective.

The surgery will aim to resolve the problem, but it means Asencio may not feature again this calendar year, creating issues for both manager José Mourinho and the Madrid hierarchy.

Asencio Decision May Change Transfer Plans

Raúl Asencio — Asencio hasn’t featured for Madrid since last season. | Diego Souto/Getty Images

Asencio’s surgery leaves Real Madrid without much central defensive cover for the remainder of 2026.

Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rüdiger and new signing Ibrahima Konaté have been the center backs used in Mourinho’s opening eight games of the new season, while the other first-team option Éder Militão is another long-term absentee through injury.

Playing several months of the season with only three fit center backs is hardly ideal and Mourinho will be required to manage his players’s minutes as the campaign goes on.

Real Madrid Center Back Options

Player	Games Missed Since Start of 2025–26 Season
Ibrahima Konaté	0
Raúl Asencio	11
Dean Huijsen	13
Antonio Rüdiger	25
Éder Militão	40

Back in the summer transfer window, there was talk Madrid would look to sell Asencio in order to free up roster space to sign another center back, with Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck among those linked. However, that did not come to pass. Recent reports claim Los Blancos are now interested in Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah.

Based on the evidence from the new season, Los Blancos could use another elite defender, with Mourinho’s side keeping just one clean sheet—at home to newly promoted Málaga—so far in 2026–27.

Attempting to move in the January market to find that extra player may now prove tricky, if the still-injured Asencio cannot be moved on to free up space.

Does Asencio Have a Future With Real Madrid?

Mourinho visits Asencio after the surgery.https://t.co/5Kwofsbc2k
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 1, 2026

Asencio has made 80 first-team appearances for Real Madrid since his debut during the 2024–25 season and has established himself as a useful squad option under Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa.

His rugged defending style and physicality have drawn comparisons with Madrid great Sergio Ramos, though there are question marks over whether the player who signed for the club at the age of 13 will ever develop into the top-level defender a club of Madrid’s status needs.

Off-the-field issues have also left a stain on his time with Madrid. He was as fined €14,400 ($16,700) and had his driver's license suspended for eight months after a drink driving offense in August.

Following that incident, Mourinho previously called Asencio an “exemplary professional” on the training pitch, but issued a warned over his responsibilities.

He said: “A Real Madrid player is a Real Madrid player 24 hours a day. Seven days a week. And 12 months a year. Everything you do outside your professional life is still Real Madrid. It continues to damage the prestige of a club that is untouchable. That can’t be touched. And with that, I’m practically saying that ... I’m not happy.

“We all make mistakes. But accumulated mistakes ... That’s a different story."

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