Real Madrid News
Manchester City target responds to Real Madrid transfer links: “There will always be talk”
Speaking in a recent interview, RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol has opened up on the rumours linking him with a summer move to Real Madrid.
Gvardiol’s stock went through the roof after his brilliant performances for the Croatian national team at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
The 21-year-old had already been on the radars of top clubs before that, but his displays at the quadrennial tournament led to those teams firming up their interest in him.
One of Gvardiol’s strongest admirers are understood to be Real Madrid. Reports have suggested that club officials met with the defender’s entourage in December last year to hold talks about a potential move, although they believe that he might be out of their reach.
That is because several Premier League clubs, most prominently Manchester City, are also interested in Gvardiol, and the Merengues, who are already investing heavily to sign Jude Bellingham, might be unable to compete financially with the English champions.
However, the links with Gvardiol refuse to go away and the Croatian international was asked about the rumours of interest from the outgoing European champions, to which he said (h/t Fabrizio Romano):
“There is no need to spend words on such a big club. There will always be talk, but I’m under contract with Leipzig until 2027. We’ll see.”
As Gvardiol states, his contract with RB Leipzig runs until 2027, although there is understood to be a release clause worth €110 million, it will only become active in 2024.
So, if Real Madrid were indeed planning to go after the Croatian rising star, they would need to shell out a large sum of money, which seems unlikely as the Merengues have other positions as priorities at the moment.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho sticks to his Champions League tradition ahead of Real Madrid’s clash vs AS Roma
Real Madrid are set to take on AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday in Italy.
Having returned from the international break with a 1-0 win over Villarreal, Los Blancos will be eager to build on it and record their second win in Europe, after beating Inter Milan last month.
Mourinho continues his tradition
And, as reported by Diario AS, the Real Madrid squad trained at Valdebebas before travelling for their Champions League fixture, just as they did during Jose Mourinho’s first spell in charge between 2010 and 2013.
The approach breaks with the usual Champions League routine of training at the opposition’s stadium on the eve of a match.
Real Madrid had largely remained an exception to this trend. Mourinho was the first to change the club’s established procedure, but after his departure in 2013, the routine had returned.
Now, the club are going back to the approach he introduced. Following the training session, the squad will fly to Rome in the afternoon.
Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa followed the same approach
Xabi Alonso revived the practice last season in order to avoid giving direct access to his team’s preparations to the opposition. After Alonso’s dismissal, Alvaro Arbeloa continued the practice.
The team travel to the opposition’s stadium for the press conference, but otherwise complete their preparations at Valdebebas before flying out a few hours later.
Exceptions are made when the journey is too long to make the routine practical, as was the case with Almaty. Rome, however, is a relatively short trip, allowing Mourinho to maintain his preferred schedule.
Real Madrid’s flight is expected to depart at around 15:00, with the pre-match press conference scheduled for 18:00 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Four expected absentees
There were no new injury concerns, with Real Madrid set to travel without four players, all of whom were already expected to miss the match.
Eder Militao has returned to group training but still needs time to regain match fitness. Meanwhile, Raul Asencio remains unavailable after undergoing surgery for a fracture in his right tibia.
Ferland Mendy is also back training with his teammates but is expected to need slightly longer than Militao before returning to action. Rodrygo remains a long-term absentee.
