Real Madrid News
Benzema not injured after being left out of the squad for Real Sociedad clash – report
Real Madrid will be without their star forward Karim Benzema against Real Sociedad after the Frenchman was left out of the matchday squad for the La Liga game.
The 35-year-old has been in fine form late, having scored a hat-trick against Almeria in the previous outing, but his sudden exclusion posed several questions over the status of his fitness.
According to AS, however, although the star forward is not injured and Real Madrid have not issued any medical report regarding the same, the most likely explanation is that Carlo Ancelotti wants him to rest before the team takes on Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final and Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
The manager had hinted that the Frenchman was dealing with some fatigue yesterday, saying: “He was a little tired today, but if he’s okay, he can play.”
But the manager has now decided against risking the club captain. Instead, the manager has included youngsters Nico Paz, Carlos Dotor, Sergio Arribas and Alvaro Rodriguez in the squad while Mariano Diaz is there as well. Interestingly enough, with Benzema out, it will be interesting to see who gets the nod in attack.
Meanwhile, Benzema is not the only high-profile absentee from the fixture as Ancelotti is also going to be without Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Jr. The duo is set to sit out due to suspension.
On the other hand, veteran midfielder Luka Modric is still on the sidelines, recovering from his injury. All this means Ancelotti will have to make several adjustments to this starting lineup.
With both Benzema and Vinicius out, the Italian might as well opt to go with Eden Hazard or Federico Valverde alongside Marco Asensio and Rodrygo.
According to AS, Real Madrid have sent a three-year contract offer with improved wages to Dani Ceballos and trust that the midfielder will continue at the club.
Ceballos is the last among the seven Los Blancos’ stars who entered the 2022/23 season with an expiring contract whose future is yet to be resolved.
Mariano Diaz, Marco Asensio, and Karim Benzema have all left Real Madrid while Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Nacho Fernandez are all set to continue at the Santiago Bernabeu for one more year.
As such, Ceballos remains the only player whose future remains unclear at this point.
The 26-year-old Spanish international has shown that he can offer value to the team and the club and manager Carlo Ancelotti are understood to ‘love’ him and want to retain his services.
Fans, too, made their feelings about the midfielder very clear this past weekend when Real Madrid played Athletic Club, as they chanted ‘Ceballos, stay!’
The Merengues have sent in a three-year proposal to the former Real Betis ace which includes an improvement in his wages. As such, the club expect him to pen the deal and continue at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, Ceballos is yet to make a decision as he is weighing up the fact that he will have to compete for a place with six other midfielders.
Indeed, Real Madrid already have Kroos, Modric, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, and Aurelien Tchouameni as competition for Ceballos. Now, they will also add Jude Bellingham to the roster, further amping up the battle for places.
Ceballos has two more offers apart from the one from Real Madrid – one from Spain and Italy each, although his former club Real Betis have not sent a proposal yet.
With the season over and less than three weeks left on his contract, it remains to be seen what the Real Madrid ace decides.
