Real Madrid News
Ancelotti thinking of resting Real Madrid midfielder against Valladolid this weekend
Real Madrid will resume their La Liga campaign on Sunday when they take on Real Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu. Leading up to the game, AS is reporting that manager Carlo Ancelotti and his staff are considering resting star midfielder Federico Valverde this weekend.
The Uruguayan international returned to the team after the international break a day later than the rest of his teammates, having travelled to Asia where he led La Celeste in friendlies against Japan and South Korea.
Valverde, as per the report, is the player who has had the most minutes under his belt at Real Madrid in 2023. The midfielder has played a total of 1691 minutes out of a possible 1920 minutes for Los Blancos since the turn of the year amounting up to 88%.
On top of that, he played the entire 180 minutes across two matches for Uruguay during the international break.
Hence, given the amount of workload he has had to bear, Ancelotti and his staff are thinking of resting Valverde this weekend, so as to allow him to recharge his batteries and come back fresher and stronger for the next stretch.
Real Madrid have some vital games coming up starting with the Copa del Rey semifinal against Barcelona next week, which will be followed by tough fixtures versus Villarreal (La Liga) and Chelsea (UEFA Champions League).
The 24-year-old has netted 12 goals in 42 appearances for Real Madrid this season, which makes him the club’s third-highest goalscorer behind Vinicius Jr. and Karim Benzema (both 19).
Given Valverde’s importance within the team, it would be prudent for Ancelotti & co. to give the midfielder a break.
Rodrygo, who was away for just one game with Brazil, or Marco Asensio, who did not play for Spain, could be options for Real Madrid on the right flank where Ancelotti has deployed Valverde more often than not this season.
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.
