Carlo Ancelotti was keen for Real Madrid to make a shock move for David Luiz after the departures of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos, according to stunning reports.
Ramos called it time on his remarkable spell at Madrid in the summer and made a sensational free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.
Varane followed in former teammate Ramos’ footsteps by leaving Los Blancos after a decade-long spell at Madrid.
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The 28-year-old French defender completed a stunning move to Manchester United for an initial fee of around £34m.
The exits of Varane and Ramos left Ancelotti wanting to recruit an additional centre-back ahead of the La Liga season.
According to Brazilian newspaper O Globo (via Diario AS), the Madrid manager ‘personally called’ Luiz in a potential bid to lure him to the club.
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Ancelotti played a huge part in bringing Luiz to Chelsea during his managerial spell at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea splashed out a reported £21m to sign Luiz from Benfica in January 2011, but Ancelotti was sacked after the Blues’ last Premier League match of the season.
Luiz, 34, left Chelsea after his second spell in 2019 to sign for Arsenal in a reported £8m deal.
The veteran Brazilian defender spent two seasons with the Gunners before his contract with the club expired in the summer.
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O Globo reports that Luiz had received offers from Everton, Benfica, West Ham, Lazio, Lille and Marseille after his exit from Arsenal.
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Luiz snubbed a potential move to Madrid and opted for a return to Brazil after signing a contract with Flamengo in September.
Ancelotti has David Alaba, Eder Militao, Nacho and Jesus Vallejo to choose from in his centre-back pairings in the post-Varane and Ramos era at Madrid.
Madrid are currently top of La Liga and are level on points with second-place Valencia and defending Spanish champions Atletico Madrid.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: David Luiz, Carlo Ancelotti, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid, La Liga, Spain, Football