La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid have reportedly lost the race to sign Robert Renan, who will join Inter de Porto Alegre on loan for the 2024 season.
According to a report by Spanish outlet AS, Robert Renan was the subject of interest from Real Madrid. But Los Blancos will not secure the services of the 20-year-old defender in the January transfer window. Zenit St. Petersburg and Inter de Porto Alegre have agreed to a loan deal for the highly-rated defender.
Robert Renan and His Woes at Zenit St. Petersburg
Robert Renan has made gradual progress since joining Zenit St. Petersburg from Corinthians in January 2023. A graduate of the Brazilian club’s famed academy, he was one of the best young centre-backs in his homeland when he arrived in Europe. But the move has not paid dividends thus far.
The 20-year-old has managed less than 1,500 minutes of game time thus far in his 18 outings for Zenit St. Petersburg. So, as the January transfer window approached, widespread reports suggested that a loan move away from the Russian club was on the cards for Renan. Such a situation captured the attention of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid Were Interested
The Merengues are in the market for a centre-back heading into the January transfer window. Carlo Ancelotti has lost Eder Militao and David Alaba to long-term knee injuries. With neither centre-back likely to return before the 2023/24 season ends, the Real Madrid boss has only two central defenders in his squad.
That is not a healthy situation going into the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, considering the Spanish giants are alive in all competitions. While reports have suggested Ancelotti might use Aurelien Tchouameni as a centre-back, signing a natural central defender will be more sensible for Real Madrid.
Several centre-backs, including Alessandro Bastoni, have thus emerged on Real Madrid’s radar over a move in the January transfer window. Robert Renan was also a viable target for Los Blancos. But they will not land the 20-year-old highly-rated Brazilian defender, who will join Inter de Porto Alegre.
The Brazilian club and Zenit St. Petersburg have agreed to a season-long loan deal for the 2024 campaign. So, Real Madrid will have to look elsewhere to bolster the central defensive unit in the January transfer window.
