Real Madrid News
Manchester City star eyeing revenge over Real Madrid in UCL semis: “We are going for it”
In a world of endless permutations and combinations in the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid’s story has been peculiar. It appears as though the club are treading through familiar tracks at all stages as they look to defend the crown they won last season.
In the Round of 16, the Merengues took on last season’s finalists Liverpool and qualified for the quarterfinal where they played the same opponent as last season – Chelsea.
Their similarities do not end there as they are now set to Manchester City in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League for the second successive season.
After their win over Bayern Munich last night, several prominent figures of Manchester City spoke to the media where they addressed the match-up against Real Madrid.
Bernardo Silva was among those do so and acknowledged that the men in blue would be looking for revenge after last season’s painful defeat as revealed by the club’s official social media channel.
“Revenge on Real Madrid? Hopefully yes, we are going for it, the team is very confident and I think we are going through.”
Pep Guardiola, manager of the English side and former Barcelona coach, said Real Madrid were the best of the best and called them perennial contenders for the UCL, as he said (h/t Movistar):
“I think all the clubs in the world have the feeling that if you want to win the Champions League, you have to beat Madrid. Before Barça, now Madrid.”
Kevin De Bruyne, who provided the assist for Erling Haaland’s goal against Bayern Munich in the second leg, also shared his thoughts. When asked about Real Madrid and last season’s defeat, he told the club’s official channel:
“What happened last year, happened. I think we played really well in the two games and in the last five minutes [they] changed the course of not qualifying.
“You have to take it on the chin and move on. It happened and it doesn’t mean we didn’t play well for the majority of the two games but football is about details and it happens and you move on.”
The first leg of the semifinal will be played in the second week of May at the Santiago Bernabeu before the reverse fixture a week later at Etihad Stadium.
Real Madrid News
Harry Kane ‘very close’ to completing Real Madrid move, only final details remain – report
Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid was finally closed earlier today as officially confirmed by Borussia Dortmund on their website. Yet, the offices at Santiago Bernabeu have not even taken a break to celebrate their success.
According to reports from Alfredo Pedullà, Los Blancos are now completely focused on the acquisition of Harry Kane. The English striker’s arrival is very close to approaching closure and only a few details remain to be sorted.
The Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur representatives reportedly held a meeting today over the striker’s transfer. The agenda was to agree on a number for the transfer fee.
The Premier League side began the proceedings with an expectation of €100 to €110 million in exchange for Kane. However, the Merengues suggested a lower point at €80 to €90 million, albeit with the option to include bonuses.
There is not much separating the two parties at the moment, and the minor gap will be bridged in the coming days. Overall, the meeting ended with a broad understanding between the two clubs.
Carlo Ancelotti sees the English striker as the centre-piece of his attack for next season given the recent departure of Karim Benzema. After all, Kane has been one of football’s most consistent goalscorers over the past decade.
Yet, Los Blancos cannot afford to let their guard down with one signing and will need to rope in at least two more names in attack to serve as backup options. The exits of Mariano Diaz, Marco Asensio, and Eden Hazard leave them with no squad depth, after all.
Kane has scored 30, 17, and 23 goals in his last three seasons in the Premier League and is the epitome of consistency. Further, he had three assists in his most recent league season and created 14 big chances.
