Real Madrid News
Ancelotti wants Real Madrid to sign Serie A forward in January amid Benzema’s fitness woes
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti understands that in order to compete for titles this season, his team needs another No. 9, as Karim Benzema has had his limitations due to injuries.
So to overcome the issue, SPORT has reported that Ancelotti has convinced Florentino Perez to rope in a new striker in January and for that, Milan’s Rafael Leao is thought to be topping the list.
Ancelotti thinks the team is going through a rough patch in terms of having a striker. Now, the likes of Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo haven’t put a foot wrong, but the manager cannot rely on them to lead the line as they get the best out of themselves from wide areas.
The management is aware of the idea that it will be difficult for them to compete with Barcelona for the league without a firm investment. And to head into the second half of the competition with only one striker also puts the defence of their Champions League crown in jeopardy.
Now, the dependency on Karim Benzema is not a secret and Madrid need to get out of the situation quickly, mostly because the French forward is already 34 and has missed several matches through injuries already.
SPORT says the team from Madrid have marked several players who they will be watching at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. One of them is Rafael Leao who is having another brilliant season at Milan.
The 23-year-old Portugal forward has scored seven goals followed by nine assists across all competitions and has combined extremely well with Olivier Giroud this season. The idea to shortlist Leao comes from the fact that his contract with Milan ends in 2024 and so far the player has not signed a reneal
Meanwhile, another player the management will keep an eye on is Inter forward Lautaro Martinez.
It is understood that Madrid wants to invest some capital but do not intend to spend a fortune. For now, their scouts will do extensive research at the World Cup to see if they can unearth an unexpected surprise.
In less than two weeks, Real Madrid will play hosts to Premier League giants Chelsea in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It is a repeat of last season’s Champions League quarter-final, with the change being that the first leg was played at Stamford Bridge back then, which Real Madrid won triumphantly.
So, even though they lost the second leg 3-2, Los Merengues progressed on aggregate. At one point in the second leg, Real Madrid were 3-0 down and looked to be crashing out of the tournament.
But, that is not how the match played out as Luka Modric produced a moment of magic, sending in a stunning outside-of-the-boot pass for Rodrygo to guide home. That forced the match into extra time and Karim Benzema then scored to seal an aggregate win for his team.
Mateo Kovacic, a former Real Madrid midfielder, was on the losing side with Chelsea on that fateful night. And the Croatian has now spoken to Sportske Novosti, about that moment of magic from Modric last year as well as the prospect of facing Real Madrid again.
“We were good against Real Madrid last year, especially in Madrid. Then Modrić invented that trivela assist for Rodrygo… We have to be at 120% against them. They immediately punish every minor mistake. Although I repeat, we are also a difficult opponent for them, we showed it,“ Kovacic said.
On the prospect of facing his close friend and national teammate Modric, Kovacic added: “[laughs] how the draw arranges it… It won’t be easy for us because Real Madrid is always the most dangerous team in the Champions League.”
“It’s a strange feeling to have Modric as a rival. There were hard fouls last year because neither he nor I pull back. We will fight for sure. I play on the left, he’s on the right, we will see who wants what. But I wouldn’t like to hurt him,” he added.
Chelsea had met Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League during the 2020/21 campaign as well and had managed to eliminate them at the semi-final stages on their way to winning the title.
While the Blues have not been in the best of form this season, they have the star power and quality in their ranks to hurt Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti’s men must be at their best to get through to the next round.
Mareas Munsaka
November 20, 2022 at 11:10 am
Christopher Nkuku is the best to replace Benzema but the club should bye Endrick from Palmieras for future. Endrick can serve the club for a decade and a half.
Jon Grey
November 21, 2022 at 3:18 pm
Ancelotti and Florentino have been urged repeatedly to get replacements for their ageing players, including Benzema, but old coach Ancelotti has always declared that he does not need any new recruitment. They have been more reactive than productive. And because of that Real Madrid’s chances in both La Liga and the Championship competitions this year are becoming slimmer. Poor judgement on their part.