Real Madrid News
Manchester City’s blockbuster summer signing wanted Real Madrid ‘at all costs’ but club said no
Enzo Fernandez reportedly saw Real Madrid as a potential escape route from Chelsea before Manchester City eventually emerged as his destination this summer.
According to AS, the Argentine midfielder was determined to leave Stamford Bridge and believed there could be an opening for him at the Spanish giants.
Fernandez even made his interest known and flirted with the possibility of moving to the Santiago Bernabeu ‘at all costs’.
Real Madrid, however, did not share the same enthusiasm.
In fact, it is important to remember that the Spanish club publicly denied interest in the midfielder, closing off the route Fernandez had hoped would lead him away from Chelsea.
That rejection ultimately helped influence the transfer picture.
With Real Madrid out of the equation, Manchester City were able to take advantage of the situation and complete a blockbuster deal for the former Benfica and River Plate player.
Real Madrid shut the door on Fernandez
Fernandez’s desire to leave Chelsea was clear from the early stages of the transfer window.
He believed Real Madrid represented a realistic opportunity, but the Spanish club’s response made it clear that there was no reciprocal interest.
The situation left Fernandez with fewer options, and the Premier League became the most realistic destination.
Manchester City were waiting in the background and eventually moved decisively to secure his signature.
The report suggests the midfielder’s flirtation with Madrid ultimately proved a mistake, as the club’s refusal to engage narrowed his choices considerably.
Manchester City turn rejection into opportunity
Manchester City capitalised on the circumstances to land Fernandez for €145 million, a fee that could eventually rise further with additional payments.
The transfer has also pushed Fernandez into elite territory when it comes to the money generated by his career moves.
His three transfers have now produced a combined €310 million, placing him third in the all-time ranking of players who have generated the most transfer income.
Only Neymar and Romelu Lukaku sit above him. Neymar has generated €400 million across three transfers, while Lukaku has reached €375 million through ten separate deals.
Real Madrid can’t seem to catch a break, as far as La Liga is concerned.
After a defeat to Atletico Madrid, where the referee made a few controversial calls, Real Madrid’s recent game against Villarreal was also mired in controversy, after Vinicius Jr. was sent off and his goal disallowed.
The Brazilian now faces the possibility of facing a lengthened suspension that could rule him out of El Clasico later this month.
Real Madrid frustrated over kickoff time vs Valencia
Now, Real Madrid have found themselves another issue, this time regarding the kickoff time for their upcoming La Liga game.
According to AS, Real Madrid are unhappy with the slot LaLiga has handed them for their Matchday 12 meeting with Valencia.
Madrid face AEK Athens in the Champions League on Wednesday, November 4 at 6:45 PM, only for LaLiga to then schedule the Valencia clash for Saturday, November 7 at 9:00 PM.
With the squad set to land back in the capital in the early hours, Mourinho’s men will have little more than Thursday and Friday to prepare for a Valencia side that has proven stubborn of late.
Club sources describe “enormous unease and surprise” at the decision, precisely because it hits the players so directly.
Rivals handed the kinder draw
The frustration deepens when Madrid look across at their title rivals.
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal all play their European fixtures a day earlier, on Tuesday, November 3, and then feature in LaLiga on Sunday, November 8.
Betis, who travel to Borussia Dortmund on the Wednesday, are likewise handed a Sunday slot.
That leaves Real Madrid as the only one of the five Spanish sides in Europe forced to play on the Saturday, surrendering a full day of recovery to their competitors.
From the dressing room’s point of view, there is no logic to it. With an international break following that weekend, and no midweek European or Cup commitments to juggle, Madrid see no reason the game could not have been pushed to Sunday.
