Real Madrid News
Ancelotti demands Real Madrid secure defensive ace in January, €15 million to be offered
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s direct approach in communicating his desire to join Real Madrid to Liverpool left the offices in England shaking.
In the final six months of his contract, the player has the leverage over his future and his straightforwardness has triggered a cascade of reactions.
Confident that they will likely land their man, Real Madrid have swung into action looking to swoop him up earlier than initially expected. They are willing to pay a small token fee, but there is undoubtedly a ceiling.
Ancelotti leading the charge
As relayed by Dailymail, it is none other than Carlo Ancelotti who is leading Real Madrid’s charge to sign the right-back in January.
After all, the Italian tactician’s plans for the season took a major blow when Dani Carvajal suffered a season-ending injury and he sees Trent as a valuable option who can fill that lacuna immediately.
Spanish publication AS add that Los Blancos are willing to shell out up to €15 million this month and hope Arne Slot’s team will prefer to accept that sum than lose him on a free transfer in six months.
Their first offer of €10 million did not convince the Merseyside offices and they are hoping the revised one will create more interest.
Liverpool’s expectations, however, are closer to the €25 million mark which Florentino Perez will not sanction at the moment.
The two clubs are in contact and Real Madrid have asked the Reds to set a ‘reasonable’ price for a player they will lose for free very soon.
If Liverpool do not adjust their expectation, the Merengues will wait six months and sign him regardless.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
