Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid become champions of La Liga for the 2021/22 season
While it has been as good as confirmed for a few months now, Real Madrid have been officially crowned champions of La Liga for the 2021/22 season win their incredible 4-0 win over Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu.
An in-form Rodrygo opened the scoring for Madrid tonight with a brace in the first half. Marco Asensio added fuel to the fire in the 55th minute. The fourth goal came from Karim Benzema, assisted by Vinicius Jr, as has been customary this season.
The duo have been the protagonists of Madrid’s season alongside Luka Modric and Thibaut Courtois. Benzema has contributed with 26 goals and 11 assists, while Vinicius has registered a superb 14 goals and nine assists.
With the win, they have reached 81 points, and could potentially finish on 93 points for the season, the joint-highest since 2017/18 when Barcelona won the league with a 14 point gap.
More importantly, Carlo Ancelotti has become the first-ever coach to win the league in all top five leagues in Europe — Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and now La Liga.
That said, Los Blancos might have more in their season treasure chest as they take on Manchester City in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
The aggregate score stands at 4-3 in favour of the Premier League outfit, but the return leg is at Santiago Bernabeu. A lot changes in the heart of Madrid.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid weighing up January move for €70 million-rated Arsenal midfielder – report
Real Madrid’s midfield is the one department where Jose Mourinho sees clear scope for improvement, especially given that the club did not sanction his wish for a top midfield signing in the summer.
While Bernardo Silva has chipped in as a handy option to feature in the deep midfield, the club still lacks a controlling and creative option who can glue the team together.
In that sense, there is a clear lacuna that Real Madrid need to address and Defensa Central brings to light that the club have opened up to a potential target.
Zubimendi emerges as a target
Indeed, the player in question is Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi who the club have seen as a target for a long time, and Real Madrid could even go on to sign him in January.
The Spanish international has not started off the new season well under Mikel Arteta and has primarily featured as a substitute. He does, thus, see a move to Madrid with good eyes in every sense.
Real Madrid, for their part, have not ruled out his signing as was reported in recent months and there is even a chance they seriously pursue him in the winter transfer window as a mid-season fix.
The possible fee
The Spanish outlet also add that Zubimendi’s move to Real Madrid could be completed for a fee similar to what Arsenal paid for the player for his transfer from Real Sociedad – €70 million.
Mourinho’s insistence on making a new midfield signing is no secret, and with a clear target now in mind, the board could well back him with the player he wishes.
Notably, however, even Chelsea are seriously interested in his signing.
So far, Federico Valverde has been Real Madrid’s mainstay in midfield, and Aurelien Tchouameni’s return will change the team’s dynamics in the department.
Neither player, however, offers the control and distribution skill set that the team direly lack.
A big part of whether or not the club pushes for Zubimendi, however, will depend on how the Valverde-Tchouameni combination plays out in the coming months. It is, after all, the manager’s first-choice combination for big games.
