One of those options that had been suggested was Manchester United defender Raphael Varane. Since leaving Real Madrid for Old Trafford for a fee of €40m, Varane has missed 38 games in two-and-a-half years, and has never really settled in the Premier League.

Real Madrid themselves have not yet evaluated him fully, but Ancelotti is keen on a return for Varane. The French World Cup-winner is vastly experienced, has proven himself at the highest level, and would not need time to adapt to Madrid, given he spent a decade there.

His current situation may work in Real Madrid’s favour too. Varane is out of contract in 2024, and is one of the players that Manchester United want to get rid of too. The 30-year-old could arrive for a small price or even on a free. The key stumbling block will be his wages though, having nearly doubled his €8m salary to €14m at United, and Los Blancos are unlikely to get close to that.

The initial suggestion of a January signing was a loan deal for Los Blancos and that could also work for all parties. Their transfer policy in recent years has been strict about not signing players in the twilight of their career, and have not given a deal longer than one year to anyone over 30 for some time. Varane certainly looks as good as any other short-term option on the market, if they can reach an agreement on wages. That is if Los Blancos do not want to invest in a long-term option, which would likely be a costly operation.