Real Madrid News
Real Madrid did not make any offer for goalkeeper, claims Sevilla director
Sevilla sporting director, Victor Orta, has claimed that they did not receive any offer from Real Madrid for their former goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. In fact, the only offer they had on the table was from the Saudi side Al Hilal.
Real Madrid found themselves in the thick of things following Thibaut Courtois’ potential season-ending injury.
With Andriy Lunin being the only plausible option at hand, the team from the capital city was forced to explore the market opportunities.
The likes of David de Gea and Bono were on the club’s radars, but the record European champions went for Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga instead.
The Spaniard joined Real Madrid on a season-long loan after almost agreeing terms with Bayern Munich earlier in the summer.
Madrid did not make an offer for Bono
Despite early media claims, Orta has revealed that Real Madrid never really made advancements towards signing Bounou.
Instead, it was Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia who stepped forward, putting forth a tangible proposal to secure his services.
“We did not receive any offer from Real Madrid for Bono. The only official offer came from Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia,” said Orta as quoted by AS.
Bono was Madrid’s first choice
While there might not have been an offer made, Real Madrid very much had Bono on their radars.
The goalkeeper himself revealed that he was Los Blancos’ first choice to replace Courtois, but concerns over his unavailability in early 2024 due to the Africa Cup of Nations led to them approaching Kepa.
“That’s what I understand. Afterwards, the board analysed the situation, saw that I could go to the Africa Cup and miss a lot of games in an important month for Real Madrid and it wasn’t possible,” the 32-year-old Moroccan international said.
Eventually, the keeper moved to the Middle East for a fee reported to be around €21 million.
As for Real Madrid, Arrizabalaga’s acquisition on loan does provide them an assurance at least for the rest of the season. The Spaniard is a reliable stopper and his previous La Liga experience is only an added bonus.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid full-back never considered summer exit, would retire at club if given chance
Ferland Mendy finds himself in a difficult situation at Real Madrid. The Frenchman has struggled with injury and fitness woes for a large part of the past year, leading to doubts over his future at the club.
In fact, it had been reported that Los Blancos were considering selling Mendy during the summer transfer window earlier this year itself.
But, such a move did not materialise and the 28-year-old has stayed put at the Santiago Bernabeu although reports suggest that he is likely to be on the move next year.
Mendy would retire at Real Madrid if he could
Despite there having been numerous reports about his future in the summer, The Athletic reports that Mendy did not consider the possibility of an exit at any point.
In fact, the report adds that if given a chance, the 28-year-old defender would retire at Real Madrid.
Mendy’s contract with Los Merengues expires in 2025 and he is understood to be seeking a renewal for a while now, but there has been no move made by the club.
The injuries that the 28-year-old has picked up are understood to be a major deterrent for Real Madrid, which is why they are already looking to reinforce the left-back position with Alphonso Davies next year.
Mendy enjoys Ancelotti’s trust
Despite the non-stop speculations surrounding him, Mendy continues to enjoy the full trust of manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Indeed, as per the report, the Italian tactician has informed the Frenchman that he is the left-back that best fits the defensive requirements needed in the team.
Ancelotti’s decision to bench Fran Garcia in the UEFA Champions League game even though Mendy was unavailable and start David Alaba at left-back was taken as an indicator within the dressing room that the Frenchman remains the first-choice in the position.
So, it remains to be seen how the situation unfolds over the coming months, especially with Ancelotti’s future also uncertain as his contract expires in 2024.
