Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid squad list to face Girona
After facing their first defeat of the 2022/23 season, Real Madrid will look to produce an immediate reaction when they host Girona at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
Los Blancos remain at the top of the La Liga standings but are just three points ahead of Barcelona, who play Valencia later tonight. So, the reigning champions cannot afford any missteps if they wish to stay ahead in the title race.
Ahead of the game, manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that Karim Benzema will not be involved due to ‘muscle fatigue’ while also revealing that Federico Valverde, Mariano Diaz, Dani Ceballos and Luka Modric have all returned from their injuries.
And the returning quartet has all been included in the squad for the match against Girona by the manager.
Also named on the list is forward Rodrygo Goes, who did not train with the rest of the team today due to an illness, but Ancelotti stated in his press conference that the Brazilian will be involved on Sunday.
With Benzema unavailable and Rodrygo recovering from an illness, it will certainly be interesting to see who Ancelotti deploys as his striker against Girona. Mariano and Eden Hazard are possible options if the Italian deems Rodrygo is not fit enough to start.
📋✅ ¡Nuestros convocados para el #RealMadridGirona! pic.twitter.com/nzoiYyqTKU
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) October 29, 2022
Earlier this week, reports emerged claiming that Atletico Madrid had made an approach to Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos, who will become a free agent in the summer.
It was claimed that the Rojiblancos were keen on signing the Spanish international and it was their second approach in recent times as they hoped to convince him to swap sides.
But, as per a fresh report from MARCA, Atletico Madrid have no intentions of signing Ceballos in the summer transfer window.
The report states that the 26-year-old’s profile is not something that appeals to Atletico Madrid, who are looking at a player like Sofyan Amrabat, in case they do wish to reinforce their midfield department.
Indeed, the report suggests that Diego Simeone is very happy with his set of midfielders as he has Koke, Marcos Llorente, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Pablo Barrios, Thomas Lemar, Rodrigo De Paul and Axel Witsel.
So, as things stand, Atletico Madrid are not looking to sign Ceballos. As for the midfielder, he is said to have offers from several important clubs across Europe heading into the summer. But, the Spanish international continues to prioritise staying at Real Madrid.
Ceballos is not seeking a major improvement on his salary either and just wants to be a prominent part of the team at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, that cannot be guaranteed if both Toni Kroos and Luka Modric also renew their contracts, especially with Real Madrid pushing to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund.
So, an exit could be the most likely outcome for Ceballos, but it seems like he will not be crossing the divide and signing for Atletico Madrid.
