Real Madrid News
€100m-rated Real Madrid midfielder will not leave amid Chelsea, Liverpool links
Earlier this week, reports broke that Real Madrid considered selling a major midfield star to finance Kylian Mbappe’s impending arrival. With the manager having one too many resources in the middle of the park, it was the obvious department to look for surplus players.
It was clearly not easy to choose an underperforming candidate from Real Madrid’s mix of players, for they are all stars in their own right. In the end, however, one of Aurelien Tchouameni or Federico Valverde appeared to be the ones elected as scapegoats.
90min brings an update on the situation of the latter and the Merengues‘ stance on his situation.
The report states that Los Blancos see Valverde, whose market value stands at €100 million, to be an irreplaceable member of the squad with Carlo Ancelotti completely trusting in his abilities. After all, the Uruguayan has enjoyed two brilliant seasons under the Italian.
His contract with the club until 2027 and a €1 billion release clause safely nestle his future in Madrid. After all, the player does not wish to move out of the Spanish capital for both sporting and personal reasons.
Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City are just some of the numerous clubs that have tried to make a move for the versatile midfielder. However, the response they received was a resounding no, just as in the case of Bayern Munich and PSG’s attempts to lure the player away.
The 24-year-old sees himself as a future captain of Real Madrid and wishes to stay put at the Santiago Bernabeu for as long as he can.
He will indeed face more competition after the arrivals of Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler, but Ancelotti already appears to have found a working solution.
Come August, Valverde could feature more as a right-winger as opposed to his traditional role in midfield. It is a formula the manager extensively employed last season and one that would help Los Blancos combat their deficiency of forwards.
*Player market value from Transfermarkt
Real Madrid News
English legend backs Real Madrid star to become one of the all-time greats: ‘He’s got everything’
Jude Bellingham has spent the past fortnight as the most talked-about footballer in England, and the superlatives show no sign of slowing down.
A masterclass in the Nations League, a clutch of records and a second straight Player of the Year award has not gone unnoticed in English footballing media.
Now one of the English game’s most respected voices has added his name to the growing list of believers.
Lineker backs Bellingham
Asked whether Bellingham can go on to become one of the greatest players of all time, England legend Gary Lineker left no room for doubt.
“Yes, I’ve been saying it for a long time now. If he avoids serious injury or falls of the rails which he won’t I’m sure.
“He’s so good at football, he’s got everything. He’s a superstar and carries himself like a superstar,” he said (h/t Track Radio).
The verdict chimes comes in the midst of a wider chorus of acclaim in recent days. Roy Keane tipped him to become one of the greatest of all time after the Croatia rout, with Ian Wright and Micah Richards among others queuing up to praise him.
Backed by the numbers
The acclaim for Bellingham comes on the back of an extraordinary international break for Bellingham.
Against Croatia, Bellingham scored one and created three in the 7-0 win, becoming the first England player to record four goal involvements in a single game since David Platt in 1993.
He finished the window with one goal and four assists and was named UEFA’s Player of the Round.
That international excellence has carried over to the Bernabeu, where he has settled into a free number 10 role under Jose Mourinho and sits as the club’s joint-leading creator.
Bellingham was part of Real Madrid’s recent 1-0 win over Villarreal as well, and was unlucky not to register an assist when Vinicius Jr.’s goal was disallowed.
The Englishman will be looking to make an impact once again when Real Madrid take on AS Roma this Wednesday.
