Real Madrid News
Haaland is the big target for Real Madrid for the future, Mbappe ‘discarded’ – report
Karim Benzema was the shining light for Real Madrid last night as he secured the Ballon d’Or title – becoming only the second player, after Luka Modric, to achieve the feat, other than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi since 2007.
However, despite Benzema’s recent triumph, Real Madrid have already set their sights on the future and are scouring the market for players that can potentially replace the ageing Frenchman in the years to come.
According to a report from Diario AS, Real Madrid are thinking about Benzema in the short term and are even poised to extend the contract that expires at the end of the season.
However, for the long term, the Whites are determined to sign someone like Erling Haaland. The Norwegian international has become the darling of the Premier League this season following an extraordinary start to his career at Manchester City.
He has scored 15 goals in just ten league matches and along with Kylian Mbappe, is regarded as two of the next big superstars in the world of football.
Haaland’s representatives notably wanted a move to Real Madrid in the summer. But the Spanish giants were willing to bet on Benzema for one more season, compelling the striker to opt for Manchester City.
However, despite his move to Etihad, Haaland reportedly has a ̉€200 million release clause that can be activated in the summer of 2024. Real Madrid remain in contention to activate the clause and sign one of the most exciting young players in world football.
As for Mbappe, Real Madrid appear to have closed the chapter on the Frenchman despite recent speculation linking the attacker to a move away from Paris Saint-Germain in the upcoming January transfer window.
Manchester City have now joined the ever-growing list of admirers for Celta Vigo midfielder and Real Madrid target Gabri Veiga, reports Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail.
The 20-year-old midfielder has emerged as one of the breakout stars of La Liga this season, having impressed with his goalscoring abilities from the centre of the park. Indeed, the youngster has notched up nine goals in La Liga and his exploits have made the giants of Europe sit up and take notice.
Real Madrid are said to be interested in Veiga’s services heading into the summer. The Merengues have Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Dani Ceballos on expiring contracts and it is unlikely that all three will be renewed, especially with Jude Bellingham being on the agenda.
In case of Modric and Kroos, even if they stay, it will likely be for only a season at the most. Hence, Los Blancos could require more than one central midfielder come summer, with Veiga emerging as an option.
The 20-year-old was also attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid. Now, Manchester City have also jumped on the bandwagon of clubs interested in Veiga’s services.
The Cityzens, who are battling Real Madrid for Bellingham as well, are set to lose Ilkay Gundogan in the summer when his contract expires. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva’s future is also far from certain, thus necessitating the signing of another midfielder.
Veiga has a release clause worth €40 million in his contract with Celta Vigo, which should not be a problem for either Real Madrid or Manchester City.
Celta Vigo president Carlos Mourino recently admitted that the midfielder could leave the club in the summer, saying:
“We don’t want to sell Gabri Veiga, but they are going to buy him from us. And we can’t do anything there. We know some of his offers and it is impossible to reach them.
“There are several teams behind Gabri. Real Madrid? They haven’t asked us, we don’t know if they will have called the player. Of the top 10 in the Premier League, four have asked about him.”
It will certainly be interesting to see whether Real Madrid are prepared to go all out for Veiga’s signing or decide to entirely focus on their pursuit of Bellingham.
Bluemoon48
October 18, 2022 at 2:55 pm
Is this in the same way Sergio Aguero was a target for year after year after year. Why they are talking about 2024 targets in 2022 goodness only knows.