Real Madrid News
Liverpool make contact with top Real Madrid target; Chelsea, Manchester City also in race
Real Madrid have boasted of one of the best midfields in the world over the last decade or so, with Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Casemiro at the helm. Further, they learnt from the mistakes of their arch-rivals Barcelona, and have already started to revamp the centre of the park with the young reinforcements.
Los Blancos already have the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, and Federico Valverde on their roster, but do not want to stop anytime soon. They have been eyeing a move for English wonderkid Jude Bellingham.
They have, however, received a blow in their pursuit of the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that Liverpool have already begun talks with the player.
Further, the reliable journalist also claims that Chelsea and Manchester City are also in race for the player, and nothing has been finalised yet.
The player is expected to stay at Dortmund through the winter, with his price tag reaching nearly €120 million in the summer.
Real Madrid have been planning for this transfer for months, now, alongside Liverpool, and will not give up easily.
That said, they realise the competition for his signature will be extremely tough, and as such, they have prepared a four-man backup shortlist.
These four players on their radar are Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic of Lazio, Enzo Fernandez of SL Benfica and Lovro Majer of Rennes.
Bellingham will likely not contemplate his future before the World Cup, and the way he has started the tournament, his stocks will only increase from here on.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
