Real Madrid did not part ways with too many of their first team players in the summer, with only Dani Ceballos, Fran Garcia, Gonzalo Garcia and Franco Mastantuono moving on. There could have been more exits, with head coach Jose Mourinho having opened the door for others to leave after making it clear that they were not in his plans for the 2026-27 season.

One of those players was Raul Asencio. The La Fabrica graduate is behind Ibrahima Konate, Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen in the pecking order, but despite being told that his minutes would be very limited, he chose to stay – and that decision was made not due to a lack of offers, as he did have some significant ones.

According to Marca , two said offers came from Premier League pair Liverpool and Chelsea. Turkish clubs also wanted him, and all of the proposals on the table would have paid him more than he is currently earning at the Bernabeu, but he ultimately chose to remain at the club of his life, convinced that he could become an important player for Mourinho.

Asencio has yet to play a single minute this season, although that has been partly due to him being injured. However, he’s back at 100% now, and he could be in line to make his first appearance of the campaign when Villarreal arrive at the Bernabeu on the 10th of October. Dean Huijsen is suspended after his red card in the Madrid derby, while Ibrahima Konate could miss out after picking up an injury while on France duty last week.

It will be interesting to see whether Asencio does take his chance, should it come along. On paper, he does appear well-suited to the brand of central defender that Mourinho likes, although he will need to prove his worth on the pitch.