Real Madrid News
Barcelona target open to joining Real Madrid in the future: “I don’t close the door”
Speaking in an exclusive interview with AS, Girona defender Arnau Martinez has claimed that he will not close the door on a possible transfer to Real Madrid in the future despite his past links with Barcelona.
Martinez spent several years in Barça’s La Masia youth setup before signing for Girona in 2018 after two years with L’Hospitalet.
The 19-year-old has progressed steadily at the Catalan club, playing an important role in their promotion to La Liga and has done well in his debut campaign in the Spanish top flight.
It has led to Martinez being linked with a return to Barcelona, who are in the market for a new right-back. And, the 19-year-old has, in the recent past, admitted that he would be keen on moving back to his boyhood club.
However, at the same time, Martinez has now insisted that he will not close the door on a move to Real Madrid just because of his history with Barcelona.
“I don’t close the door on anyone. What I want is to compete in the best way in the best team that I can, be it Madrid, Barça or another team,” Martinez said.
A right-back by trade, Martinez is also able to play as a centre-back. The teenager performed well in Girona’s La Liga encounter against Real Madrid this season, when he was able to keep Vinicius Junior quiet.
Talking about his experience playing at the Bernabeu, Martinez added: “It was a great experience in a unique stadium, the best there will be in the coming years. It’s impressive to come out of the locker room and see everyone singing the anthem.
“Luckily for me, that didn’t wrinkle me. I play the same at the Bernabeu or in a game with an artificial turf field.”
Martinez has a release clause worth €20 million in his contract with Girona. While there have been no reports of interest from Real Madrid, the defender will not rule out a move to the Bernabeu if a chance arises in the future.
There is no way back for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian international has not given the management any reason to have faith in his abilities over his past four seasons at the club and is unsurprisingly the most important departure for the Merengues in the summer.
Hazard has one more year on his contract in Madrid. However, it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him and that any potential replacement manager in the summer will echo his stance.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Fenerbahce are willing to go all out to sign Hazard this summer. The Turkish side have made the former Chelsea their prime target, yet face a steep task ahead of them.
The 32-year-old is hellbent on seeing out his contract with Los Blancos despite seeing his career sink right before his eyes. It thus becomes complicated for the party to lure away the forward, especially in a competition outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahce attempted to sign the winger in the recently concluded winter transfer market. They reached an agreement with Real Madrid but failed to get over the line as they could not convince the player of the move.
The biggest obstacle for the Turkish side will be convincing Hazard to make the move by letting go of his lucrative contract in Madrid. The chances are slim, but not impossible.
Hazard has made just three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s side this season in La Liga, a steep fall from last season’s 18 and seven respectively.
His last appearance for the team came back in January when Real Madrid faced Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga however, he last played in September 2022 in a 4-1 win over Mallorca.
Hezekiah H. Merriam
November 18, 2022 at 1:39 pm
Barcelona players are slow on the ball. They need to speed up a bit with fast vision.