Real Madrid News
PSG informally approach Real Madrid star over potential summer move
Real Madrid have been fully focused on signings so far since the arrival of Jose Mourinho, wrapping up four deals in quick succession.
However, adding a lot of new players to the squad can only mean that sacrifices are needed elsewhere, and one or two high-profile names could leave Madrid this summer.
One player who has now been approached by another European club over a potential transfer this summer is Eduardo Camavinga.
According to Jose Felix Diaz in AS, PSG have sounded out Camavinga informally, but the player is not interested in an exit.
That is the most important part of the update from a Madrid perspective, because it keeps the focus on the player’s commitment rather than the noise around him.
Camavinga’s name will always attract attention. He is young, experienced, physically powerful and already has the kind of big-game background that top clubs want.
Madrid should shut this down early
For Real Madrid, there is no sporting reason to encourage this story. Camavinga is exactly the kind of midfielder the club should be building around: versatile, aggressive, press-resistant and still with room to grow.
Even when he is not an automatic starter every week, his value to the squad is obvious. He can play as a midfielder, cover at left-back when needed, break pressure with carries and give the team energy in difficult phases of matches.
That versatility is sometimes unfairly used against him. Because Camavinga can do several jobs, he is occasionally moved around instead of being allowed to settle.
That should not hide his importance, though. Players with his profile are rare, and Madrid would struggle to replace him without spending enormous money.
Camavinga’s answer matters most
When Camavinga himself says no to PSG in favour of staying at Real Madrid, there is not much for the club to worry about here.
Camavinga is French and missed out on a World Cup berth under Didier Deschamps. Despite that, if he is willing to overlook the biggest club in his home country, that tells you how happy he is in the Spanish capital.
Without the player’s desire, there is no serious operation. Madrid should still be careful. If major clubs keep circling, the club must make sure Camavinga feels valued and central to the project.
PSG may have tested the waters, but Camavinga does not appear tempted. However, they are unlikely to stop with one approach and could look to change his mind.
Real Madrid’s midfield future needs players with legs, personality and ambition. Camavinga has all three. Unless the player changes his mind, this should be the end of this conversation for PSG.
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
