Real Madrid and Manchester City competing for a highly-rated Italian midfielder | OneFootball

Since Dani Carvajal suffered the triple ligament tear during the match against Villarreal, Real Madrid are clearly concerned about the situation of their backline.

The Merengues started the season with some serious deficiencies in the defence, as they had only two reliable centre-backs, Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao. David Alaba is still recovering from his injury with no recovery date in sight, while Jesus Vallejo is not really trusted by Ancelotti.

Now, with Carvajal’s injury, right-back is another area for which Los Blancos are considering going into the market. But these two are still not the only areas of the team that Real Madrid are looking to strengthen.

Although there are some very competent players available there, the central midfield position is another area of the Merengue team that requires a player of a different profile. Toni Kroos’ absence is being clearly felt by the team, as there is a clear decline in the creative aspect of the midfield.

In such a context, Mundo Deportivo reports that one of the midfielders that Real Madrid have in their sights is the Torino midfielder, Samuele Ricci, who is emerging as one of the most popular midfielders not only in Italy, but also in Europe.

However, Real Madrid is not the only big club that wants Ricci, as Manchester City are also looking to incorporate him into their squad to replace the injured Rodrigo. But while the Citizens are looking to get the Italian in January, the Merengues are looking to get him in the summer of 2025.

Los Blancos have been following the midfielder for three years now, and Carlo Ancelotti, in particular, is a big admirer of his compatriot.

Ricci has a contract with Torino till 2026, but the Italian club is trying to tie him down till 2029 for quite some time now.