Real Madrid News
19-year-old Real Madrid youngster will continue at club amidst Espanyol links
Despite heavy interest from fellow La Liga teams like Espanyol, journalist Rodra has said that Real Madrid will keep 19-year-old forward Alvaro Rodriguez as part of their squad for the 2023-24 season.
The journalist adds that the basic idea is to let him develop at Real Madrid Castilla and be ready for Carlo Ancelotti when required.
Ancelotti has full trust in Rodriguez
Back when 19-year-old Rodriguez failed to make it to the pre-season squad, news emerged that he could be allowed to go on loan before the beginning of the new season.
As it turns out, however, the decision was rather technical as Ancelotti and Raul Gonzalez decided to leave him in Madrid keeping the Castilla team’s preparation in mind.
Rodriguez not making it to the United States tour does not really mean Ancelotti has excluded him from his plans.
On the contrary, the Italian has complete trust in the forward and it is said that he will have his fair share of minutes in the 2023-24 season.
“For next season he will be in the first team squad because he has the quality that few others have. For his age, he is tall, powerful, and a formidable header,” Ancelotti had said about Rodriguez back in February.
Market demand
Seeing Rodriguez’s situation, several teams have tried to prey him away from Madrid. A few weeks back, interest from Serie A side Udinese surfaced while the likes of Getafe and Benfica have been credited with an interest as well.
Among those, Benfica might as well try their luck mostly because they are set to lose Goncalo Ramos to PSG this summer and Rodriguez could come in as a perfect replacement.
Fellow La Liga side Espanyol showed interest as well, but Madrid’s plan with the 19-year-old is absolutely clear. They want him to continue his progress in the subsidiary squad and the manager will call him to the senior team whenever the time is right.
Aurelien Tchouameni has had an exciting start to his career at Real Madrid. Since joining the club for almost €80 million last summer, the young Frenchman has now become a pivotal figure in Real Madrid’s midfield unit.
However, prior to his move to Santiago Bernabeu, the midfielder was closely linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni opened up on his links to PSG but revealed his decision to join Real Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni on PSG links
Talking about speculations linking him to PSG, Tchouameni said (h/t Madrid Zone), “PSG? Frankly, I thought about it. It’s a very big European club, we want the French clubs to succeed.”
“But honestly, when Real Madrid calls you, it’s very complicated to say no,” Tchouameni added.
The midfielder was linked with a move to PSG during his time at AS Monaco. Les Parisiens wanted to sign the youngster as part of their plans to reinforce the midfield unit.
Tchouameni, though, ended up opting for a move to Real Madrid, which turned out to be a prudent decision from the midfielder’s end.
Tchouameni’s career at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni made a total of 50 competitive appearances during his maiden season at Real Madrid.
Although the Frenchman was not entirely a first-team regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, his stature in the team is expected to grow in the coming years.
Especially as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric move on at the end of the season, there is scope for Tchouameni to become a first-team regular in the Real Madrid midfield in the years to come.
The former AS Monaco starlet has already played a crucial role in the starting eleven so far this season and it is only going to continue as the season progresses.
