In their storied history, Real Madrid has missed out on their fair share of transfers. They missed out on Rodri this summer, and in past windows have missed out on players like Paul Pogba, David de Gea, and Neymar, ultimately deciding to go a different way with their transfer plans. Real came close to landing one of La Liga's best defenders back in the summer transfer window in 2021, before deciding to go a different way, to somewhat mixed results.

While speaking with AS, Aston Villa defender Pau Torres confirmed he was among the final candidates Real Madrid considered signing in the summer of 2021 before ultimately signing David Alaba on a free transfer from Bayern Munich.

The Spaniard went on to say: "Yes, ultimately being among the two or three candidates for a team like Real Madrid is always something very positive".

Real Madrid nearly went a completely different route in 2021

Torres was 24 years old at the time, and while at Villarreal he was being touted as one of the best center-backs in La Liga, but ultimately, from Real Madrid's perspective, bringing in Alaba as a free agent made more sense. After the departures of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos that summer, Real lacked experience in the backline, so bringing in someone like Alaba, who had won everything imaginable at Bayern, made the most sense.

This is a point that Torres himself echoes, not holding anything against Real Madrid for deciding to go with someone other than him, saying: "I also understand why they decided towards the end of the transfer window to go for a free agent like David Alaba, he was a more established player than me, with more experience."

Real's decision to go with Alaba was somewhat hit or miss, as the club did win eight trophies during his time at the club, including two Champions League titles; however, the Austrian struggled with major injuries throughout his time at the Bernabeu, and given his incredibly high wages, it cost Real Madrid just as much as it helped them.

Torres ended up signing with Aston Villa in the summer of 2023, reuniting with his old Villarreal manager, Unai Emery, and has had success with the English club. He was a key player in their Europa League victory last season and is a regular starter at Villa Park. So while this may be another 'what could have been' for Real Madrid, things may have worked out for the better for both parties with how things ended up playing out.