Real Madrid News
Real Madrid are considering cutting ties with Barcelona over the Negreira scandal
For a long time after the revelation of Barcelona’s Negreira Scandal, Real Madrid maintained a low profile on the matter. The Spanish powerhouse’s reluctance to release an official statement was said to be linked to the close ties they were maintaining with the Catalans, especially in view of the European Super League.
The situation, however, has taken a turn in the past 24 hours. The Catalan club have been charged with corruption by the Spanish prosecution over payments to the former vice president of the referees’ committee, forcing urgent movements at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos immediately released a statement to announce that club president Florentino Perez had called for an urgent meeting with the board of directors to decide Real Madrid’s approach to the matter.
According to reports from Voz Populi, the Merengues are considering completely cutting ties with FC Barcelona in light of the scandal. This would be a massive step from the men in white, for it could potentially impact the Super League.
It is important to note that the prosecutor’s office is said to have zero evidence to prove Barcelona’s ‘buying’ of referees. Keeping that in mind, Real Madrid could well look to wait out the court proceedings and evaluate the development.
Former Barcelona presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell are the men against whom the charges would directly apply. However, Barcelona, as a legal entity, have been charged with the crime of ‘continued corruption in business.’
Despite being charged, Xavi’s men will face no punishment given that the last payment was made over five years ago, putting it beyond La Liga’s jurisdiction.
Barcelona and Real Madrid face off on the field next weekend in a Clasico that could potentially have massive repercussions on the title race.
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.
