Real Madrid are reportedly ready to rival Barcelona in their pursuit of AS Monaco and France defender Djibril Sidibe who will be a free agent in the summer.
According to a report from El Nacional, Barcelona are set to face competition from arch-rivals Real Madrid in the race to sign AS Monaco right-back Djibril Sidibe in the summer transfer window.
The 29-year-old Sidibe has been with Monaco for over five years now, having signed from LOSC Lille in 2016. The right-back played a key role in their surprise Ligue 1 title triumph in his debut season with the club and continued to be a regular in the side until falling out of favour and leaving the club for a loan spell at Everton in 2019/20.
Upon returning to the Principality outfit last year, Sidibe has been reinstalled as a regular in the side. The Frenchman has 166 appearances for Monaco, scoring six goals and registering 23 assists. The 29-year-old was also a part of the France national team that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Sidibe is in the final year of his contract with Monaco and is keen on moving on from the club at the end of the season. It has led to a serious interest in his services from La Liga giants Barcelona.
The Catalans are in the market for reinforcements in the right-back slot as Sergino Dest is staring at an uncertain future at Camp Nou. The USMNT star is believed to be in talks with Bayern Munich over a transfer, which would leave Barça light in the position. With Dani Alves’ contract expiring at the end of the season, Xavi Hernandez & co. will need a new right-back in the summer.
While a move for Ajax’s Noussair Mazraoui has been mooted, Sidibe has also emerged as a target for the Blaugrana. The report states that the Frenchman is also enticed by the idea of playing for the Catalan outfit and has instructed his agent to open talks over a move. However, Barcelona are now set to face competition from Real Madrid in pursuit of the 29-year-old.
Los Blancos are looking to strengthen their options in the right-back department owing to Dani Carvajal’s recurring injury problems over the past couple of seasons. While Lucas Vazquez has done well as a makeshift full-back, Carlo Ancelotti remains keen on adding a more natural option to his roster and has identified Sidibe as a target.
As per the report, the Frenchman had already turned down Real Madrid once before when Zinedine Zidane was in charge of the team. It remains to be seen whether he decides to move to the Santiago Bernabeu or Camp Nou once his contract with Monaco runs out at the end of the season.
