Real Madrid News
Jorge Mendes offers Asensio to Barcelona again after Catalans rejected €55m summer move
It is rare for a Real Madrid player to be linked with a move to Barcelona. Very few players in the history of the game can claim to have played for both the La Liga giants and Marco Asensio could join that elite list soon.
According to Tomas Gonzalez-Martin on El Debate, Jorge Mendes has offered Asensio to the Blaugrana on a five-year contract.
Moreover, the report adds that this is not the first time the super-agent has approached the Catalan side to sign Asensio.
In August, Mendes proposed a €55 million move to Camp Nou for his client. However, that deal did not go through because Barcelona were already close to signing other targets in the transfer window.
Additionally, Joan Laporta wished to avoid any tussle with Florentino Perez with their Super League project still alive.
Asensio has faced drought for minutes this season at Real Madrid and sees the likes of Vinicius and Rodrygo ahead of him in the pecking order. Yet, his situation would not be very different at Barça given Xavi’s rich reserves in the forward department.
Though the player would have to compete for minutes at both clubs, the Blaugrana’s proposal may be more attractive financially. After all, it was a mismatch in the wage rise that caused the fallout between Asensio and Real Madrid.
The 26-year-old winger hinted that he might be open to a move to Barcelona in a recent interview. And Mendes has now offered the Catalans an opportunity to sign him on a five-year deal once he enters the final six months of his contract withe Real Madrid in January.
Needless to say, the forward’s future is far from certain. A lot will depend on his performances in the coming months – both for club and country.
Real Madrid’s performance against Real Betis was shambolic, to say the least as the team faced many of the problems that have haunted them over the past couple of years.
But on a night where most of the attackers struggled to create anything of note, Dean Huijsen emerged as a lone bright spark for Los Blancos.
Huijsen keeps his promise
As reported by MARCA, Huijsen was the standout performer for Real Madrid, marshalling the backline with real authority even as the team struggled around him.
There has been a noticeable shift in the young defender’s mentality this season, with the player showing more competitive nature and looking much fiercer.
This is an attitude Huijsen had always promised, having inherited the iconic number four shift from David Alaba, a number he associates with his idols Sergio Ramos and Fernando Hierro.
“What I do know is that I’ll give everything of myself every day, whether in training or in a game,” he vowed, and at La Cartuja he delivered on that word.
His primary task was neutralising Juan ‘Cucho’ Hernandez, and he did so superbly, drying up the Colombian’s supply and repeatedly anticipating danger.
He also held his own in a niggly battle with Antony, refusing to be ruffled by one of Betis’ most inspired performers.
His composure on the ball, one of the qualities that has elevated him, saw him venture forward, forcing a fine save from the goalkeeper in the 11th minute and later heading against the woodwork.
The Konate partnership grows
Alongside him, Ibrahima Konate did his job, albeit without matching his partner’s brilliance.
The Frenchman was a little less assured, both in and out of possession, reflecting the two speeds of the centre-back pairing.
Huijsen looks settled and increasingly commanding, while Konate is still building the sharpness needed to reach his best in white.
Nonetheless, the partnership is heading in the right direction, and in Huijsen, Real Madrid appear to have unearthed a genuine leader for an area that has long been a weakness.
Each performance is also an argument to Luis de la Fuente, as the defender looks to reclaim the Spain spot he lost before the World Cup.
