Real Madrid News
Ancelotti interested in signing Serie A midfielder for Real Madrid, claims Italian journalist
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is interested in signing Napoli midfield mainstay Stanislav Lobotka according to Italian journalist Valter de Maggio, as relayed by Mundo Deportivo.
Lobotka has been with Napoli since 2020, when he joined from La Liga club Celta Vigo. The 27-year-old has slowly grown into a permanent fixture in the centre of the park for the Partenopei and has been key to their Serie A title charge this season.
A defensive midfielder by trade, Lobotka has made 86 appearances for Napoli thus far, scoring two goals and setting up one more.
As per the report, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is a huge admirer of the Slovakian international and is keen on bringing him to the Santiago Bernabeu.
“A little bird told me that Ancelotti wants Lobotka at Real Madrid,” said de Maggio, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.
Real Madrid have a midfield unit brimming with quality even though they lost Casemiro this past summer. Aurelien Tchouameni has settled in well in the holding midfield role since arriving in the summer.
Along with him, Ancelotti also has the likes of Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. While the latter two are in the final phase of their respective careers, they are still going strong and could sign one-year renewals before the summer.
On top of that, Real Madrid have their sights firmly fixed on Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund as the final piece to complete their midfield transition.
So, quite how Ancelotti plans to fit Lobotka into his plans, if he is indeed interested in signing the Slovakian would be intriguing to see. He could be seen as a cover and competition for Tchouameni in the No. 6 slot.
The 27-year-old signed a new contract with Napoli in January, committing his future to the club until the summer of 2025. Whether there is genuine interest from Real Madrid’s part in signing Lobotka remains to be seen.
According to AS, Atletico Madrid have made the first approach for Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga, who has also been linked heavily with a move to Real Madrid and Arsenal.
The 20-year-old midfielder has emerged as one of the most exciting young prospects in Spanish football this season, having already netted nine goals in La Liga.
It has alerted a series of top-level clubs, with the likes of Real Madrid, Arsenal, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid all being linked with the youngster, who has a €40 million release clause in his contract with Celta.
Real Madrid are in the market for midfield reinforcements and have identified Jude Bellingham as their top target, but Veiga is also said to be on the agenda at the Santiago Bernabeu
However, recently, the Galician club’s president confirmed that there had been contact from clubs in England, but stated that Real Madrid had made no approach.
On top of that, a report from MARCA quoted a club source saying that they were not contemplating signing the 20-year-old.
Amidst this, it has now emerged that Atletico Madrid have made an approach towards signing Veiga from Celta Vigo in the summer transfer window.
The Rojiblancos are also in the market for new midfielders amid question marks over the futures of Saul Niguez and Geoffrey Kondogbia.
While Diego Simeone’s side have taken a first step, the report indicates that Veiga, in case of the absence of interest from Real Madrid, would prefer to join Arsenal.
So, the Colchoneros will need to put in efforts to convince the 20-year-old to choose them over a move to the Premier League club come summer if they are serious about adding the talented youngster to their roster for next season.
