Real Madrid News
Chelsea remain interested in €150 million Real Madrid target, bid not ruled out
Last month, Chelsea acted swiftly to beat Real Madrid and Manchester City to the signing of Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
The World Cup winner was on the radars of both Real and Manchester City, but the two clubs wanted to sign him for the summer. And, Chelsea decided not to give their rivals a chance at the move by swooping in for him in January itself.
While the Blues strengthened their midfield unit with Fernandez’s signing, Matt Law of The Telegraph reports that they continue to remain interested in the services of another Real Madrid target in Jude Bellingham.
The 19-year-old is one of the most coveted young midfielders on the planet currently, with the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United all holding an interest in his services.
And, Chelsea too are among the England international’s admirers heading into the summer.
As per the report, the club’s analysis last month placed Bellingham as one of the two top midfielders likely to be on the market in the summer, along with Fernandez. They acted swiftly to sign the latter, and they now remain interested in the former.
The report indicates that Chelsea making a bid for Bellingham is not ruled out as of yet. However, they are aware that they are not among the favourites to sign the Borussia Dortmund star for next season.
Real Madrid, for their part, have held a long-standing interest in Bellingham and have been laying the groundwork for a deal for a while now.
Reports suggest that they have had positive talks with the midfielder and his entourage. However, the Merengues are reluctant to shell out the €150 million that Borussia Dortmund will demand for him.
It leaves the race for Bellingham wide open as clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City have the financial clout to meet the €150 million demands while they can also offer him a much more lucrative contract as well.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid captain Benzema still not 100% fit, suffering from ankle discomfort – report
Karim Benzema put in another decrepit display as Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat to FC Barcelona on Sunday night, which all but ended their hopes of defending the La Liga title.
The 35-year-old had sat out of Los Blancos‘ previous La Liga encounter against RCD Espanyol due to ankle discomfort, but returned for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie versus Liverpool.
While Benzema scored in that game, he hobbled off the pitch with his ankle issue resurfacing. It led to him missing training last Friday, but returned to the squad for El Clasico after participating in training on Saturday.
However, he looked rusty and uninspiring during the defeat on Sunday at Spotify Camp Nou. Now, ABC (h/t Madrid Xtra), is reporting that Benzema is still not near 100% fitness and is struggling with his ankle issue.
It is further claimed that the Real Madrid captain continues to feel discomfort game after game.
Despite this being the situation, Carlo Ancelotti continues to play his ace striker in almost every match.
But the blame must be shared by the club as well, as they did not sign a new centre-forward in the summer or in January when they were aware of the striker’s fitness issues this season.
The Merengues let go of Luka Jovic and Borja Mayoral in the summer and did not sign a replacement, leaving Benzema and the out-of-favour Mariano Diaz as the only options at the manager’s disposal.
Rodrygo did well on occasions when deployed as a No.9, but it evidently clear that Real Madrid cannot go through an entire season relying on a 35-year-old centre-forward.
Alvaro Rodriguez may have emerged as an option of late, but Real Madrid will be repeating the same mistake again if they do not go for a new striker before the next season starts.
