Real Madrid are readying a January bid for out-of-favour Chelsea centre-back, David Luiz, according to reports.
The Brazilian defender has recently lost his place in the Blues’ starting lineup to youngster Andreas Christensen amid reports that he had an argument with manager Antonio Conte.
There is now speculation of interest in Luiz from the current Champions League holders, so says a report in the Daily Mail.
Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane, has been playing Raphaël Varane and Sergio Ramos predominately at centre-back this season so it would be interesting to see what plans he would have for the Chelsea defender.
A January move away from Stamford Bridge could certainly be on the cards for Luiz if he has fallen out with manager Conte. The Italian coach fell out with Diego Costa over the summer and didn’t play the Spaniard again before agreeing a deal with Atlético Madrid to sell him in the January transfer window.
David Luiz has struggled this season and Chelsea’s defensive record has certainly improved since he was benched in favour of Christensen. The West London club also have Antonio Rüdiger as another option in central defence, whilst Kurt Zouma is currently out on loan at Stoke City, where he is playing well.
Real Madrid themselves have had a difficult start to the season and, eight points behind Barcelona, already look out of the La Liga title race. Though it must be said that David Luiz is hardly a solid or reliable defender, regardless of the praise he received last season in Chelsea’s Premier League title campaign.
However, Luiz did have a measure of success playing the holding midfield role at Chelsea briefly under José Mourinho. It’s possible Zidane could be planning to push the Brazilian into this role as he has limited options here – Casemiro and Luka Modric.
With David Luiz’s days at Chelsea seemingly numbered, I expect the Brazilian to be moved on in January. He needs game time to ensure he goes to Russia for the World Cup in the summer and Real Madrid could be an option for him.
