Real Madrid News
Real Madrid ‘convinced’ they can sign Mbappe this summer – Romano
Real Madrid officially announced the signing of Jude Bellingham less than 24 hours ago. The English midfielder joined Los Blancos after a long transfer saga and was expected to be the club’s only blockbuster signing of the window.
The situation has changed in recent days. Kylian Mbappe’s open announcement of his desire to leave PSG at the end of his contract has once again churned up talks of a possible move to Real Madrid.
The French club cannot afford to lose their best player on a free transfer next year and are thus looking to engineer a departure this summer. With every passing day, the possibility of Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid materialising is only increasing.
According to reports from Fabrizio Romano (h/t Madrid Xtra), Los Blancos are convinced that they have a concrete chance of signing the Ligue 1 superstar. All efforts are being directed to ensure it is completed ahead of next season.
Paris Saint-Germain believe that Mbappe intentionally leaked the information of his decision to the media so as to create a chaotic environment and push for an exit. However, the player played down such accusations in his recent interview.
PSG are said to be willing to sell their star to Real Madrid despite their sour relations. Talks between the clubs will likely progress in the coming days, especially with respect to the transfer fee.
Florentino Perez has always prioritised Mbappe’s arrival over any other move for Real Madrid in the forward department. In fact, he is willing to offer the youngster a contract with €25 million in wages.
€200 million appears to be the number decided upon in Madrid as the sum budgeted for Mbappe’s arrival. That, at first sight, appears to be enough to meet the French club’s expectations.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
Pat Grey
June 15, 2023 at 11:34 pm
Go for Mbappe Florentino and I will salute forever! With Bellingham and Mbappe and one more striker and a physically fit Defence in the mould of Ramos in his heydays, not even Man City will mess around Real Madrid going forward. I have still not gotten over the 4-0 defeat my beloved RM suffered at the hands of City, and such a situation should never again happen to RM