La Liga champions Real Madrid are reportedly weighing up a swap deal involving Nacho to sign Stefan de Vrij from Serie A giants Inter Milan.
According to a report by Italian outlet Calciomercatoweb, Real Madrid might look to sign Stefan de Vrij in a swap deal involving Nacho in the January transfer window. Los Blancos and Inter Milan are considering exchanging two veteran defenders, with Nacho possibly heading to the Serie A club.
Stefan de Vrij has been a stalwart of Serie A for the better part of the last eight years. The Dutch defender arrived in Italy in July 2014 when he joined Lazio from Feyenoord. And the player then earned the biggest move of his career when Inter Milan snapped him up in July 2018. The veteran defender has been a dependable performer for the Nerazzurri since then.
The 30-year-old played a pivotal role as Inter won the Serie A title in the 2020/21 season. And he has turned out 181 times for the Italian giants while chipping in with nine goals and seven assists. But the Serie A giants are in a spot of bother over de Vrij’s future, as he is in the final year of his contract. Such a situation has captured the attention of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid will likely enter the market for a centre-back next year despite signing one in the last three summer transfer windows. But the Merengues are sweating over the long-term future of Nacho, who might not renew terms with them. And with talks between Real Madrid and the Spaniard not moving well, a departure in 2023 is likely.
Recent reports have linked Nacho with Serie A giants like AC Milan and AS Roma. But his next destination might be another Italian club. That is because Inter Milan and Real Madrid are now considering a swap deal. Such an arrangement will see Stefan de Vrij and Nacho exchange bases.
Real Madrid and Inter Milan reckon the two defenders have a similar value. And with the 30-year-old de Vrij two years younger than Nacho, the deal might work out in Los Blancos’ favour. But the two parties still need to iron out a few details before the swap deal becomes a reality.
For now, de Vrij has emerged as a viable target for Real Madrid. And it will be interesting to see if the 30-year-old swaps bases with Nacho in the January transfer window, with the Spaniard moving to Serie A club Inter Milan.
