Real Madrid News
Benzema’s two key pieces of advice to Real Madrid president during Super Cup meeting – report
Karim Benzema was in audience on Sunday night as Real Madrid took on FC Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.
The result did not go the Merengues’ way on the night, though, as they ended up losing 3-2 to their arch-rivals, failing to win the first trophy of the Xabi Alonso era.
What Benzema told Florentino Perez
Meanwhile, Benzema got to meet and interact with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, with whom he shares a very close relationship.
In fact, there is already an agreement for Benzema to return to the club as an ambassador once he retires from professional football.
Making use of his stature and relationship, the 38-year-old striker gave some important advice to the Real Madrid chief, reports journalist Ramon Alvarez.
The first piece of advice that Benzema gave to Perez was to sign a new midfielder at Real Madrid soon.
It is a glaring issue that the club have failed to address despite having lost Toni Kroos and Luka Modric over the past couple of years.
Manager Xabi Alonso insisted on it in the summer but his requests were not granted and there are no plans to sign someone in the current window either. But Benzema is understood to have advised Perez to consider the move.
On top of that, the Real Madrid legend allegedly also told the club president to trust manager Alonso and have faith in him.
The 44-year-old tactician’s position has been under threat for some time now, although he seems to have earned temporary reprieve despite the Super Cup final loss.
And Benzema is seemingly of the opinion that Perez should not act hastily and pull the trigger on sacking Alonso.
Real Madrid opted to renew Antonio Rudiger’s contract this past summer to keep him at the club for one more season.
The 33-year-old veteran defender, though, has not been performing at his best, with physical problems taking their toll and age starting to catch up with him.
As such, the expectation is that Los Blancos will not extend his contract again when his current one expires on 30 June 2027.
Tottenham eye Antonio Rudiger
And, according to reports relayed by AS, Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a free-transfer swoop to sign Rudiger in the summer of next year.
The north London club are understood to be keen on reinforcing their backline next year and see the German defender as an option, given his experience in the Premier League and the fact that he would be available for free in the summer.
So far this season, Rudiger has played only five games for Real Madrid, amounting to a total of 396 minutes.
The 33-year-old has even chipped in with two goals, including the all-important winner in the 4-3 comeback victory over AS Roma on Wednesday night.
Time to move on?
Despite Rudiger being a hugely respected figure in the Real Madrid locker room, he is currently the third-choice centre-back for Jose Mourinho.
After all, summer signing Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen have been preferred by the manager so far in the new season.
Moreover, with Eder Militao set to return imminently after a lengthy injury layoff, Rudiger’s game-time could be impacted further.
Given the situation and factoring in Real Madrid’s plans to sign another centre-back next summer, it is pretty much evident that Rudiger does not feature in the club’s plans for beyond this season.
As such, a separation of ways seems pretty likely when his contract expires, and Tottenham are now positioning themselves as early suitors to sign Rudiger as a free agent in 2027.
