Real Madrid News
Judge rejects Real Madrid’s six-month extension request in Barcelona Negreira case
The investigation into Barcelona’s payments to former Technical Committee of Referees vice-president Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira has taken another turn after the judge overseeing the case rejected Real Madrid’s request for a further six-month extension.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the request, which was also supported by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, has been dismissed by the judge at Barcelona’s Investigating Court No. 1.
The outlet mentions that the preliminary investigation was due to expire on September 1, but the case has not been formally closed.
This is because two witness testimonies are still scheduled for November, meaning the judicial process will continue despite the refusal to extend the investigation period.
Those witnesses are former Barcelona player and reserve-team coach Gerard Lopez and the club’s former reserve-team delegate, Antonio A.
The ruling indicates that the judge does not consider the scheduled November hearings sufficient reason to extend the preliminary investigation.
Why Negreira investigation will not be extended
Notably, the case centres on the €7.3 million Barcelona paid between 2001 and 2018 to Negreira and his son, Javier Enriquez.
Real Madrid had asked the court to prolong the investigation by another six months, arguing that the work carried out during the preliminary phase justified keeping the proceedings open.
However, the judge disagreed.
According to the ruling, the two November witness hearings had already been scheduled before the previous extension expired.
As a result, the court does not believe the investigation needs to be extended simply to accommodate those testimonies.
She reasons that, even if the Provincial Court ultimately sides with Real Madrid, the investigative proceedings would not automatically become invalid simply because they were carried out after the preliminary investigation period had expired.
Real Madrid argued there was sufficient evidence
Real Madrid’s request for another extension was not based on the desire to keep the Negreira case open.
On July 14, the club argued that the Civil Guard’s investigation had produced substantial findings during the preliminary phase.
Real Madrid described the evidence as “more than sufficient direct and circumstantial evidence of the commission of a continuing offence of corruption in sport.”
The club therefore believed another six months were necessary to allow the investigation to continue and further proceedings to take place.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office supported that request, but the judge ultimately rejected it.
The legal process is not over yet
Notably, that does not mean the allegations have been resolved.
While the rejection is certainly a setback for Real Madrid’s attempt to extend the preliminary investigation, it would be inaccurate to describe the Negreira case as finished.
The November witness hearings involving Gerard Lopez and Antonio A. remain pending, while the Barcelona Provincial Court still has to make a decision regarding investigative proceedings requested by Real Madrid.
The judge’s ruling simply establishes that those developments do not require the preliminary investigation itself to be extended beyond its existing deadline.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid weighing up January move for €70 million-rated Arsenal midfielder – report
Real Madrid’s midfield is the one department where Jose Mourinho sees clear scope for improvement, especially given that the club did not sanction his wish for a top midfield signing in the summer.
While Bernardo Silva has chipped in as a handy option to feature in the deep midfield, the club still lacks a controlling and creative option who can glue the team together.
In that sense, there is a clear lacuna that Real Madrid need to address and Defensa Central brings to light that the club have opened up to a potential target.
Zubimendi emerges as a target
Indeed, the player in question is Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi who the club have seen as a target for a long time, and Real Madrid could even go on to sign him in January.
The Spanish international has not started off the new season well under Mikel Arteta and has primarily featured as a substitute. He does, thus, see a move to Madrid with good eyes in every sense.
Real Madrid, for their part, have not ruled out his signing as was reported in recent months and there is even a chance they seriously pursue him in the winter transfer window as a mid-season fix.
The possible fee
The Spanish outlet also add that Zubimendi’s move to Real Madrid could be completed for a fee similar to what Arsenal paid for the player for his transfer from Real Sociedad – €70 million.
Mourinho’s insistence on making a new midfield signing is no secret, and with a clear target now in mind, the board could well back him with the player he wishes.
Notably, however, even Chelsea are seriously interested in his signing.
So far, Federico Valverde has been Real Madrid’s mainstay in midfield, and Aurelien Tchouameni’s return will change the team’s dynamics in the department.
Neither player, however, offers the control and distribution skill set that the team direly lack.
A big part of whether or not the club pushes for Zubimendi, however, will depend on how the Valverde-Tchouameni combination plays out in the coming months. It is, after all, the manager’s first-choice combination for big games.
