Real Madrid have taken an interest in AC Milan and Germany defender Malick Thiaw, according to a report.
The 22-year-old spent time in the youth systems of Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen before signing for Schalke, whom he represented for seven years between 2015 and 2022.
On the back of scoring three goals in 61 matches for the German strugglers, Thiaw moved to Milan in a deal worth just €8.6m (£7.4m) last summer, and his stock has only risen since then.
Thiaw struggled for minutes in the early months of the campaign, but he soon established himself as a regular in Stefano Pioli's defence and ended the season with 20 appearances to his name, including 19 Serie A starts and back-to-back clean sheets against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League last 16.
The 6ft 4in defender has continued to go from strength to strength this season too, making seven starts in Serie A to help the Rossoneri assume position at the top of the table with 21 points from their opening eight matches.
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Thiaw has also played the full 90 in both of his side's opening Champions League clashes with Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund, keeping a clean sheet in both games, and he won his first two caps for Germany in a pair of friendly defeats to Poland and Colombia in June.
The former Schalke product is under contract at San Siro for another four seasons, but according to reports from Italy - via Mundo Deportivo - Real Madrid could soon test Milan's resolve.
Los Blancos have supposedly identified Thiaw as a prime defensive target for next summer, and they are willing to pay around €20m (£17.3m) to bring him to the Bernabeu for the 2024-25 season.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti is currently working around Eder Militao's absence due to a severe ACL injury, while David Alaba has also struggled to stay fit in the early weeks of the campaign.
A recent report claimed that Militao could be back as early as February, as the South American is ahead of schedule in his recovery, but he is still at risk of missing the entire season given the severity of his issue.
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As such, Real Madrid are scoping out defensive reinforcements for next summer, although Milan would be expected to hold out for a sum far greater than €20m (£17.3m) to let Thiaw depart given his age and contract length.
In addition to Militao and Alaba's fitness concerns, Real are also facing uncertainty over the future of club captain Nacho Fernandez, who is due to become a free agent at the end of the current campaign.
Nevertheless, Blancos board member Jose Manuel Ortero has stated that his side are not planning to splash the cash in January, having brought Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, Fran Garcia, Joselu and Kepa Arrizabalaga to the Spanish capital this summer.
However, links with Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe are expected to re-emerge once the season is concluded, as the Frenchman is yet to extend his contract with the French champions beyond 2024.
Ben Knapton
