Turkish outfit Beşiktaş are reportedly interested in signing Real Madrid defender Raúl Asencio before the summer transfer window in Türkiye closes.
Defensive woes marred Real Madrid’s final campaign under Carlo Ancelotti. The Spanish giants conceded 83 goals across all competitions last season amid an injury crisis that saw Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, Éder Militão and Ferland Mendy miss extend periods of time.
One of the only bright spots defensively for Los Blancos in their poor 2024–25 campaign was Asencio. The 22-year-old was plucked from Real Madrid Castilla and inserted into Ancelotti’s backline, going against the likes of Barcelona, Liverpool and Arsenal in the biggest matches of the season.
The breakout year seemingly prompted interest from the Süper Lig. According to AS, Beşiktaş are in the market for a center back and Asencio fits the bill. The club named the Spaniard its “priority” target this summer, but Real Madrid have reportedly no interest in parting ways with the defender.
Real Madrid recently included Asencio in their 2025–26 Champions League squad and have made no move to offload the Spain international despite his poor performances the FIFA Club World Cup.
Asencio only started three matches in the newly expanded tournament and committed a massive error in each. The Real Madrid Castilla product conceded a penalty against Al Hilal, received a red card against Pachuca and gifted Fabián Ruiz PSG’s opener in the semifinals.
Dean Huijsen, Militão and Antonio Rüdiger are all above Asencio in Xabi Alonso’s defensive pecking order, leaving last season’s savior without much hope of playing consistent minutes moving forward.
On paper, cashing in on the defender seems like the smart move for Real Madrid, but the club nor the player seem willing to explore a deal. Beşiktaş could still move forward with an official bid for Asencio, though, since the transfer window in Türkiye does not shut until Sept. 12.