Zinedine Zidane favours a move for Kalidou Koulibaly if Raphael Varane leaves Real Madrid, but Florentino Pérez's sights are set elsewhere.
Centre-back Raphael Varane wants to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season, and - according to a report on Spanish television programme Jugones - has informed Los Blancos of his desire to depart, leading the club to comb the market for a replacement.
Zidane keen on Koulibaly, Perez wants Gimenez
Two players are of particular interest at the Bernabeu. Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly is Zinedine Zidane's preferred option: the Senegal international has long been on the Madrid head coach's radar, with the Frenchman also urging the club to sign him during his first spell as Bernabeu boss.
Meanwhile, club president Florentino Perez is thought to be more keen on Atletico Madrid's Jose Maria Gimenez.
Neither Koulibaly nor Gimenez a straightforward target
Madrid's interest in Gimenez is not new, with the European champions also eyeing a swoop for the 24-year-old last summer. However, it's a signing that would appear to be far from straightforward.
Gimenez, who in mid-2018 signed a five-year contract extension that saw his release clause rise to 120 million euros, is a player whose sale Atlético are thought to be totally unwilling to countenance, particularly given Lucas Hernandez's end-of-season move to Bayern and the likelihood that Diego Godin will also leave.
Prising Koulibaly from Napoli won't be easy, either. At the start of the season, the Serie A club tied the 27-year-old down to an improved, long-term deal that is to run until 2023 - and inserted a 150-million-euro release clause as of 2020.
while the Partenopei's coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has said he'll fight tooth and nail to prevent the defender from departing, even quipping that he'd "chain himself to the gates" if either he or midfielder Allan were sold.