Real Madrid News
Florentino Perez inserted ‘anti-Barcelona’ clauses in the contracts of two Real Madrid stars
Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio are among several Real Madrid players whose current contracts with the club expire on June 30. And while the latter has decided to move on from the club, the former appears closer to renewing with the Merengues.
Not very long ago, Asensio, who will soon be deciding his next club, had been linked with a move to Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona.
But, according to a fresh report from Mundo Deportivo, such a move would never have been possible as Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had ‘anti-Barcelona’ clauses inserted in the contracts of both Asensio and Ceballos.
The presence of such a clause meant that even if the pair leave Real Madrid as free agents, they would be prohibited from joining the current La Liga champions.
While Ceballos has never really been linked with a move to the Catalan outfit, the same cannot be said of Asensio.
The 27-year-old winger had been generating a lot of interest at Barcelona, who viewed him as a good addition to their ranks owing to his ability to play in multiple positions in attack and his eye for a goal.
However, after learning about the existence of the ‘anti-Barcelona’ clause in his contract, the Blaugrana were quick to end their pursuit of the Spanish international.
As things stand, Asensio appears to be bound for PSG, after deciding to snub interest from Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. If not for the presence of the ‘anti-Barça’ clause, things could have ended differently for the Spanish international.
As for Ceballos, as mentioned earlier, he appears likely to stay put at Real Madrid, having been happy with the club’s latest three-year contract offer.
Aurelien Tchouameni has had an exciting start to his career at Real Madrid. Since joining the club for almost €80 million last summer, the young Frenchman has now become a pivotal figure in Real Madrid’s midfield unit.
However, prior to his move to Santiago Bernabeu, the midfielder was closely linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni opened up on his links to PSG but revealed his decision to join Real Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni on PSG links
Talking about speculations linking him to PSG, Tchouameni said (h/t Madrid Zone), “PSG? Frankly, I thought about it. It’s a very big European club, we want the French clubs to succeed.”
“But honestly, when Real Madrid calls you, it’s very complicated to say no,” Tchouameni added.
The midfielder was linked with a move to PSG during his time at AS Monaco. Les Parisiens wanted to sign the youngster as part of their plans to reinforce the midfield unit.
Tchouameni, though, ended up opting for a move to Real Madrid, which turned out to be a prudent decision from the midfielder’s end.
Tchouameni’s career at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni made a total of 50 competitive appearances during his maiden season at Real Madrid.
Although the Frenchman was not entirely a first-team regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, his stature in the team is expected to grow in the coming years.
Especially as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric move on at the end of the season, there is scope for Tchouameni to become a first-team regular in the Real Madrid midfield in the years to come.
The former AS Monaco starlet has already played a crucial role in the starting eleven so far this season and it is only going to continue as the season progresses.
