Real Madrid News
Argentine World Cup hero tipped for future Real Madrid move by his former coach
It is close to unbelievable that the starting striker in the FIFA World Cup Champions team is on the bench at the club level. Yet, such is the quality of Manchester City that even Julian Alvarez finds himself benched for Erling Haaland.
However, it will be difficult for the Premier League champions to hold onto the Argentine striker for long given the heavy demand for his services. Further, the player will want more minutes given his tender age and could push for a move should the right approach arrive.
Alvarez’s first coach, Rafael Varas, undoubtedly knows the player well having trained him from a young age. The coach spoke to the media last week and revealed where the striker’s passion lay as revealed by MARCA.
“I believe at any moment, he [Álvarez] can wear the Real Madrid shirt.”
It must be noted that Alvarez had a trial with Real Madrid back in 2016 when he was still at CA Atalya.
The youngster had made an impression on the onlookers at the time, but the Merengues could not close the deal due to a rule that prohibited the club from signing foreign players under the age of 13. Alvarez then ended up joining River Plate instead.
Varas’ words will have the management of Los Blancos on their toes, for strengthening the centre-forward position is seen as an absolute priority within the club for the coming windows, despite the signing of Endrick for 2024.
Alvarez would be an ideal signing given his young age, sky-high potential and calm personality.
The 22-year-old stepped up when it mattered most for the Albiceleste and made the World Cup his own. He scored four goals in seven appearances in Qatar including two goals in the semifinal against Croatia. Further, his work rate off the ball was phenomenal, adding value to his profile.
It remains to be seen if Real Madrid take the coach’s words and try signing the young star. The operation would not come cheap, however, as Alvarez’s stocks saw a steep bullish period last month and are at an all-time high.
Dani Ceballos is one of the players who has Real Madrid on the fence after his recent resurgence. The club appeared certain to part ways with the player during the commencement of the 2022/23 season but no longer find the decision as straightforward.
According to reports from MARCA, Real Madrid are in no hurry to renew Ceballos’ contract. Though his deal runs out in the summer, the Merengues prefer to focus fully on the competitions they are alive in instead of entering auctions for his renewal.
Ceballos has given Los Blancos the signal that his priority is to stay and is waiting for an offer from the board. However, nobody from the administration has contacted him yet.
Sniffing a moment of opportunity, Atletico Madrid have entered the scene and conveyed their interest in signing the midfield star. Los Rojiblancos have already called his entourage twice in recent weeks and a move away from the Bernabeu cannot be ruled out.
At 26 years of age, the Spaniard wishes for regular starts and playing time. It would be difficult for such demands to be met in Real Madrid owing to the sheer number of young prodigies rising in the middle of Los Blancos.
Come next season, Ceballos could be lost in the mix of Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde and veterans like Toni Kroos, while Jude Bellingham could also arrive.
Ceballos has made 19 appearances for the defending champions in La Liga this season, providing one assist in that duration. At just 10 starts and 44 minutes averaged per game, however, his role is clearly centred around the bench.
Moving to Atletico Madrid could thus work well in his favour for he is almost guaranteed playing time in Simeone’s system which is in dire need of a quality attacking midfielder.
The player is currently on international duty with La Roja for the Euro qualifiers. In the team’s opener against Norway, he came on at the hour mark and made a strong cameo with three key passes and a big chance created.
Kevin Velasquez
January 9, 2023 at 5:31 am
I was so impressed with the Argentina team! They completely had stepped up their game and their effort to win the World Cup and be the champions of the world. Their skills are highly valuable from their work performances that they had done throughout the tournament. I’m so proud of them!!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽❤️🇦🇷🥇🏆🤝