In a shock move, Real Madrid are reportedly weighing up the possibility of re-signing one of their former players who is now on the books of Manchester United.
Los Blancos suffered a huge injury setback this past weekend, when defender David Alaba sustained an anterior cruciate ligament to his knee during their 4-1 win over Villarreal.
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With the Austrian star reportedly set to return late in February, Real are now said to be considering bringing in a replacement in the January transfer window.
Spanish outlets Diario AS and Marca claim that five players are being monitored as potential cover, namely Giorgio Scalvini of Atalanta, Goncalo Inacio of Sporting CP, Antonio Silva of Benfica, Willian Pacho of Eintracht Frankfurt, and Leny Yoro of Lille.
However, according to Fichajes, the LALIGA giants may go down a familiar route and re-sign one of their old stars instead, with the publication claiming that Carlo Ancelotti is evaluating the possibility of signing Raphael Varane from United.
The French centre-back spent a decade at the Santiago Bernabeu before moving to Old Trafford in 2021.
This season, however, the defender has fallen down the pecking order in Erik ten Hag's side, prompting serious speculation about his future.
With limited game time so far in this campaign, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has been linked with moves to Saudi Arabia and Bayern Munich, with the Red Devils said to be willing to accept about €35 million (R709 million) for his signature.
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Meanwhile, Los Blancos boss Ancelotti has bemoaned the fact that he now has several players ruled out by the exact same injury.
"This is the first time it has happened to me; three of my players tearing their ACLs," the Italian told the press after Saturday's game, per Managing Madrid.
"[Aurelien] Tchouameni, in an emergency, is the first option after the centre-backs. Now, it's an emergency. He can play there."
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