Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid starting lineup against Cacereno; Cope del Rey RO32
Real Madrid turn their attention towards the Copa del Rey tonight, where they will take on Cacereno in the round of 32. Los Blancos have not won the King’s Cup since 2013/14, and will be looking to reach that peak this year after nearly a decade.
With Thibaut Courtois rested, Andriy Lunin takes over responsibility of the gloves in goal, guarded by a back-four. Alvaro Odriozola will be tasked with defending the left side, with Lucas Vazquez flanking the right.
Nacho has been tasked with the captain’s armband in the heart of the defence, paired alongside Eder Militao.
Ahead of them, Aurelien Tchouameni gets another start as the defensive midfielder. Dani Ceballos gets a second successive chance to impress Carlo Ancelotti on the left side of the midfield, while Eduardo Camavinga rounds off the XI on the right.
We will see Marco Asensio on the right side of the front-three, while Eden Hazard gets his first start of the season since 11th October, presumably on the left-wing. Rodrygo takes over responsibilities from Karim Benzema as the striker.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro 𝗫𝗜 inicial 🆚 @CPCacerenoSAD! #CopaDelRey | @UnicajaBanco pic.twitter.com/zleK9hJSnq
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) January 3, 2023
Confirmed Madrid starting XI:
Hazard · Rodrygo · Asensio
Ceballos · Tchouameni · Camavinga
Odriozola · Nacho · Militao · Vazquez
Lunin
Real Madrid News
€40 million midfielder prefers a move to Real Madrid over Premier League clubs – report
The race for Jude Bellingham has become tightly contested in recent weeks. Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid all pursue the Borussia Dortmund star closely and hope to win his signing come June.
Given the heavy competition, it is natural that the clubs have alternative names on their tables. One such name on the radars of the aforementioned clubs is Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga.
The La Liga midfielder has offers from the Premier League for the summer. However, SER reports that the player has asked Real Madrid if they will match the offer from England and has displayed his interest in joining the club.
Veiga’s release clause with Celta Vigo is valued at €40 million. If the Merengues can match such a valuation, either through direct means or player exchanges, the young phenom will don white next season.
Real Madrid have followed Veiga’s profile for a while now and have made their interest in his signing known to his environment. Yet, the Spanish outlet also adds that Veiga’s potential arrival in June would not close the doors for Jude Bellingham’s signing.
Rafa Marin of Real Madrid Castilla is a player who interests Celta Vigo, and unsurprisingly is one of the names on Los Blancos’ table to utilise in a swap deal for Veiga. Yet, it is safe to say that talks of a player exchange are in a rudimentary stage.
The 20-year-old Spanish phenom has lit up La Liga this season. In 25 appearances for Celta Vigo this season, he has scored nine goals and provided three assists. He averages close to one key pass per game and has created five big chances in his league campaign.
With Los Blancos unwilling to let go of Bellingham’s pursuit irrespective of Veiga’s signing, the question will boil down to the financial leeway the Merengues have and whether they can afford to shell out €40 million in addition to the Englishman’s fee.
