Xabi Alonso's first signing at Real Madrid? Germany international defender emerges as summer transfer target for Spanish giants in move that might annoy Bayer Leverkusen fans

According to Sky Sport Germany's Florian Plettenberg, appointing Xabi Alonso as the club's new head coach could open the doors for Real Madrid to a potential move for Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah.

Los Blancos are in serious need for defensive reinforcements. Last summer, they didn't sign a suitable replacement for Nacho and headed into the 2024-25 season with just three natural centre-backs: Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and David Alaba. The former sustained an ACL injury for the second consecutive season, while the latter two are on the wrong side of 30. That has seen Carlo Ancelotti having to rely on midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni to play as a makeshift central defender, albeit the emergence of Raul Asencio has helped matters.

Plettenberg has stated that should Alonso arrive at Madrid this summer, Tah could follow him to the Spanish capital. The Germany international is into the final few months of his contract at Leverkusen and it has been confirmed that he'll be departing from BayArena for free at the end of the season.

"If Xabi Alonso were to move to Real Madrid, it might not be so much about Florian Wirtz. In that case, Jonathan Tah could be someone who could follow Xabi Alonso," Plettenberg said on Sky Sport News Talk on Thursday.

Earlier this season, it was reported that Los Blancos were considering signing Tah in January, although their interest in the defender petered out as the season progressed. Subsequently, Barcelona were believed to have pulled ahead in the race to capture Tah's signing.

The 29-year-old will next be seen in action on Sunday, April 20, when Bayer Leverkusen face St. Pauli away from home. Die Werkself are currently six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich with just five games to go.