Real Madrid News
Liverpool were ready to offer €100 million for Real Madrid midfielder close to deadline day
When Real Madrid took on Mallorca at the weekend, they were stunned in the 35th minute by Vedat Muriqi’s headed opener. Los Blancos laboured for the next ten minutes hoping to level the scores and the equaliser finally came through Federico Valverde.
The Uruguayan International took matters into his own hands in the dying minutes of the first half as he dribbled across half the field, to the edge of the area, and fired a bullet past the opposition goalkeeper.
The midfielder is slowly growing into one of Real Madrid’s most dependable faces and has a big future ahead of him. Needless to say, the club wish to hold on to him for years to come. At the same time, though, it seems like Valverde is gaining admirers across Europe.
According to reports from AS, Liverpool were interested in signing Valverde in the last two days of the transfer window. The Merseyside team were willing to shell out €100 million for his services but Los Blancos firmly denied them as they had no interest in losing the Uruguayan.
The Premier League side desperately needed an extra body in midfield given their injury crisis and Valverde was one of the top names on their list. Eventually, they signed Arthur Melo from Juventus on a loan deal.
Valverde has been sensational for the men in white this season, scoring two goals and providing an assist in just five appearances. He averages two key passes and close to four defensive actions per ninety minutes.
He faces tough competition to start with Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos providing a similar profile. But, the fact that Carlo Ancelotti sees him as an option on the right-wing has meant that he has not been shy of regular game-time.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid not worried about Bellingham’s knee injury, Dortmund asking for €150 million
Heading into the 2023 summer transfer window, Real Madrid had one main priority on their minds – signing Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund amidst interest from several other parties involved.
With Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool also chasing his signature, Madrid knew it was going to take a lot more than just a €120 million offer and a blank cheque to convince Bellingham.
Eventually, it seems the player’s desire to join Madrid came through. He rejected advances from the Premier League, and eventually chose the defending Champions League winners as his next home.
There are certainly doubts with the transfer, though, as there would be, with any €120 million signing. With this transfer, it is Bellingham’s knee troubles. The Englishman might have to undergo surgery to treat his knee, and is also expected to miss England’s EURO 2024 qualifiers.
A knee surgery at the age of 19 would, and probably should be a scary prospect for any player and club. Real Madrid, though, are not worried, as per a report by SPORT1.
They want him to form a ‘royal midfield’ quadrant with Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, and Federico Valverde.
The transfer is expected to close next week, as Borussia Dortmund advanced negotiations with Real Madrid after losing the Bundesliga title on the final matchday.
The two club presidents, Hans-Joachim Watzke and Florentino Perez, have a ton of mutual respect for one another, and want the transfer to be closed promptly so both clubs can move forward with the rest of the transfer window.
For Dortmund, that means finding a replacement for Bellingham, and reinforcing their squad to challenge for the Bundesliga title next season. For Madrid, meanwhile, it would mean finding Karim Benzema’s replacement.
The final details of the transfer fee are still remaining, though, with Dortmund hoping to get nearly €150 million out of the deal.
