La Liga club staying calm amid growing interest in defender from Real Madrid, Barcelona

The anticipated arrival of Ibrahima Konate significantly strengthens Real Madrid’s central defence ahead of next season, and the player will likely slot into the spot left by David Alaba’s departure.

Beyond that, however, there is still a real sense that Real Madrid need one more central defensive signing before the start of the 2026-27 campaign, and the club are being linked with several names.

The likes of Josko Gvardiol headline Real Madrid’s wish-list for the department, but one other strong option from La Liga who has a good chance of being the selected one is Real Sociedad’s Jon Martin.

Tranquillity in the Basque country

Real Sociedad are well aware of the widespread interest in their young defensive talent from clubs across the world including Real Madrid.

Jon Martin attracting interest from Real Madrid. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

As relayed by AS, however, they are calm about his situation and trust the player to prioritise them. After all, Martin has confidently conveyed that he wishes to stay with La Real, something that is massive given the external interest in him.

His contract with the Basque side runs until the summer of 2031 and his release clause stands at €60 million.

If Real Madrid wish to sign him, they will thus need to convince the player and pay out his termination clause.

Tough competition

If the player’s staunch desire to stay at home was not a big enough hurdle, Real Madrid face direct local competition for Martin’s signing from Barcelona who are also said to rate the defender very highly.

Barcelona also want Jon Martin. (Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images)

In fact, the Catalans’ sporting director Deco has even met with the player’s representatives.

With his release clause within reach for both clubs, it will ultimately boil down to which team convinces him of the move and the project more strongly. Los Blancos, needless to say, must start now if they are to maintain any edge.

Last season, Martin established himself as a regular starter under Pellegrino Matarazzo and he played 32 official games for his side. In La Liga, he averaged over 14 defensive actions and 3.3 ball recoveries per game.