Real Madrid News
Real Madrid back in business for Bellingham as Liverpool shift focus to €90m ace
According to MARCA, Liverpool are considering a swoop for SL Benfica and Argentina star Enzo Fernandez, which could clear the path for Real Madrid to sign Jude Bellingham in the summer of 2023.
Bellingham has been the talk of the town for a while now and is set to spark a transfer war come summer. Real Madrid had shown serious interest in signing the 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund ace as they look to build a new midfield for the future.
However, recent reports had suggested that Los Blancos could miss out on the youngster as he was leaning towards a move to Liverpool, who are also intent on signing the England international.
On top of that, Bellingham’s rising valuation had also become a topic of concern for Real Madrid, which put his signing under doubt.
However, as per the latest report, Liverpool are now looking to make a move for Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez, which could open the door for Real Madrid in their pursuit of Bellingham.
Fernandez, 21, signed for Benfica only last summer and has been on the radars of Real Madrid and Barcelona as well. However, Liverpool seem to have jumped ahead in the race for the Argentine international.
The report states that the Reds consider him as a more achievable target due to his €90 million valuation while he could be immediately available as well, making him an enticing prospect for the Premier League giants.
Stumping up big money for Fernandez and Bellingham in quick succession could be difficult for Liverpool, leaving the door ajar for Real Madrid.
The Merengues were worried about splashing large sums to sign him but the report states that after watching Bellingham’s displays at the World Cup, club officials believe he would be worth every effort.
However, a lot depends on how Liverpool go about their plans and whether they decide to go after both Fernandez and Bellingham as Real Madrid wait to see how things develop.
Marco Asensio is fighting for his future at Real Madrid. The 27-year-old winger is out of contract at the end of the season and there is no concrete decision made by the club over his renewal as of yet.
Some reports had suggested that the club had tabled an offer worth €4 million per year, which the Spaniard did not like as he sought a higher pay packet closer to around €6 million-a-year.
With his future a subject of intense speculation, Asensio had been linked with a move away to Premier League clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool.
Meanwhile, closer to home, there were strong links to Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona. Indeed, the Catalans have been touted as potential suitors for Asensio for quite some time now due to the fact that he is represented by Jorge Mendes.
The superagent has close ties with Barcelona president Joan Laporta and reports in Spain have suggested that the Real Madrid winger has, indeed, been offered to the current La Liga leaders.
Amidst these speculations, however, Asensio has seemingly made it clear as to where his heart lies as he awaits a decision on his future.
During last night’s El Clasico against Barcelona, the Real Madrid winger came on as a substitute and went on to score a goal, following which he celebrated at Camp Nou, pointing to the Real Madrid logo on his shirt, showing where his allegiances lie.
The goal, however, was disallowed by the VAR, and Los Blancos ended up losing the game 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time winner by Franck Kessie.
Earlier today, Asensio took to Instagram and posted a picture of him celebrating with his finger pointing to the Real Madrid logo, reiterating his commitment to the club amidst the links to Barcelona.
As for his disallowed goal, it sparked an angry reaction from Carlo Ancelotti, who questioned the legitimacy of the decision made by the VAR during his post-match press conference.
