Real Madrid News
Ancelotti talks Vinicius, Ceballos, Courtois, Benzema ahead of Real Madrid vs Getafe
Real Madrid hosted Manchester City in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in midweek in a thoroughly entertaining game that ended 1-1 courtesy of goals from Kevin de Bruyne and Vinicius Jr.
Carlo Ancelotti will have his bombastic side eye on the second leg, but must first overcome Getafe on the weekend in the league.
Ahead of the Madrid derby, the Italian gaffer spoke to the media as part of his pre-game press conference.
“We want to win tomorrow. Our focus is not on City,” he started.
He was asked if him and Pep Guardiola were the best coaches in world right now. Humble as ever, the four-time Champions League winner denied the claim, saying, “No. There are many others also.”
With Eder Militao back in contention for the second leg after missing out on the first one due to suspension, Ancelotti has a few doubts over his choice of centre-backs for the City game.
“I have many doubts over who will play as a CB vs City.”
As for tomorrow, there will be a fair few rotations. Thibaut Courtois is expected to start despite that, while there are doubts over other positions.
“Courtois will play tomorrow. Vinicius..we will see whether he starts or not. But he will play tomorrow. I talked to him, he feels very good.” Ancelotti declared.
“Vincius is the best player in the world, or very close to be,” he added in praise of the Brazilian.
“We will play a very demanding game tomorrow, against a team that’s fighting relegation so I will use a fresh and energetic XI. Some players are tired, so I won’t risk them tomorrow.”
“I won’t tell you who will play tomorrow because I don’t want to give Getafe an advantage.”
Ancelotti did provide an injury update, though, confirming Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos’ presence for the game after both picked up injuries in the last month.
“Ferland Mendy and Ceballos return to play tomorrow.”
The latter is set to become a free agent in the summer though. “We will decide what to do (with Ceballos and Asensio’s contracts) very soon.”
On the contrary, though, he confirmed the absence of three key players, who apparently picked up some discomfort vs Man City.
“Benzema, Alaba, and Rodrygo received some blows on Tuesday.”
Source: Real Madrid
Real Madrid News
Harry Kane ‘very close’ to completing Real Madrid move, only final details remain – report
Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid was finally closed earlier today as officially confirmed by Borussia Dortmund on their website. Yet, the offices at Santiago Bernabeu have not even taken a break to celebrate their success.
According to reports from Alfredo Pedullà, Los Blancos are now completely focused on the acquisition of Harry Kane. The English striker’s arrival is very close to approaching closure and only a few details remain to be sorted.
The Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur representatives reportedly held a meeting today over the striker’s transfer. The agenda was to agree on a number for the transfer fee.
The Premier League side began the proceedings with an expectation of €100 to €110 million in exchange for Kane. However, the Merengues suggested a lower point at €80 to €90 million, albeit with the option to include bonuses.
There is not much separating the two parties at the moment, and the minor gap will be bridged in the coming days. Overall, the meeting ended with a broad understanding between the two clubs.
Carlo Ancelotti sees the English striker as the centre-piece of his attack for next season given the recent departure of Karim Benzema. After all, Kane has been one of football’s most consistent goalscorers over the past decade.
Yet, Los Blancos cannot afford to let their guard down with one signing and will need to rope in at least two more names in attack to serve as backup options. The exits of Mariano Diaz, Marco Asensio, and Eden Hazard leave them with no squad depth, after all.
Kane has scored 30, 17, and 23 goals in his last three seasons in the Premier League and is the epitome of consistency. Further, he had three assists in his most recent league season and created 14 big chances.
