Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid lineup against Rayo Vallecano
With Real Madrid set to take on Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabeu in a couple of hours, manager Carlo Ancelotti has unveiled the starting lineup that will be stepping onto the pitch.
The man dominating the headlines in football, Vinicius Jr, does not make the cut unsurprisingly despite having his red card rescinded, as he is dealing with a knee issue.
In his place, Federico Valverde gets moved to the attacking unit, with the Uruguayan starting on the right flank while Rodrygo Goes slots in on the left. Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema spearheads the attack.
There are big changes in midfield as well, as Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Eduardo Camavinga all return to the team after being benched for the match against Valencia. The German ace starts as the defensive midfielder.
In defence, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba come in for Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy in the full-back positions while Nacho replaces Eder Militao as Antonio Rudiger’s partner. Thibaut Courtois lines up in goal.
📋✅ Our starting XI 🆚 @RayoVallecano! #RealMadridRayo pic.twitter.com/fklX1JOPPN
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 24, 2023
Real Madrid have two of the world’s brightest prospects on their wings. Vinicius Jr has already made his name as one of the generation’s best talents on the left wing while Rodrygo Goes is not far from doing the same on the other flank.
However, the duo no longer have a central striker to complement them for the season to come. With both Karim Benzema and Mariano Diaz no longer in the squad, there Merengues have no options left to fill the number nine vacancy.
Harry Kane has quickly emerged as Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti’s favourite option to fill the void. However, reports earlier in the week claimed that Tottenham Hotspurs manager Daniel Levy wished to keep the striker in London and even quoted a €115 million price tag.
According to reports from MARCA, Los Blancos are preparing an opening offer worth €80 million for the English striker. Needless to say, the bid is not too far off from the Premier League side’s asking price.
Negotiations are expected to progress swiftly in the coming week. Given that not too much separates the two parties, one can expect Florentino Perez to come up with creative ways to bridge the gap.
Despite the relatively steep price tag, Real Madrid are in an advantageous position for two reasons.
For starters, Kane wishes to represent the club’s crest and reports even claim it is the only team for which he would leave the Premier League. Secondly, Daniel Levy does not wish to sell the player to direct competition in the Premier League, indirectly favouring the Merengues.
The 29-year-old has been Tottenham’s centre-piece since 2013 and has racked up goals for fun year after year. In the recently concluded season of the Premier League, he scored 30 goals and provided three assists in 38 appearances in addition to creating 14 big chances.
