Real Madrid News
Real Madrid have full confidence that Bundesliga star will join next summer as planned
Reports have surfaced that Real Madrid remain confident of securing Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies for next summer, despite intense competition from other top clubs.
According to AS, the Spanish giants have already reached an understanding on the terms of Davies’ potential contract and they are confident that the Canadian will fulfil what has already been discussed.
Interestingly, however, official negotiations for the transfer can only commence from 1 January, in line with FIFA regulations.
Davies’ agent denies
Davies’ agent, Nedal Huoseh, has denied any formal agreement between Real Madrid and the Canadian star. This has cast some doubt on earlier reports suggesting that Davies and Real Madrid had already finalised the deal.
Real Madrid, however, have made significant progress in their discussions with the player. The club has already presented financial terms to Huoseh, outlining what could be on offer for the player if he moves next summer.
Despite this, Real Madrid are not planning to engage in a bidding war for Davies. The club is satisfied with their current left-back options, particularly with Ferland Mendy, who has also recently extended his contract until 2027.
There is significant competition
Davies remains an attractive option for Real Madrid due to his young age and the fact that he could be available on a free transfer next summer.
Bayern Munich are trying to retain their star player, offering him a contract worth €12 million per season. However, the competition for Davies’ signature has intensified, with Manchester United reportedly making a strong push to bring him.
Huoseh appears to be leveraging the situation to maximise the outcome for Davies, possibly in terms of financial benefits or additional interest from clubs.
While Real Madrid are optimistic about the deal, they have no intention of altering the terms they had previously discussed.
Nevertheless, until a deal is officially signed, there remains a small chance that Davies could choose a different path, leaving Real Madrid to rethink their strategy.
Real Madrid News
Rayo Vallecano manager names the one Real Madrid figure he would remove from the team
Rayo Vallecano face a daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on a wounded Real Madrid this weekend.
Life after Inigo Perez has not been kind to the Vallecas-based club, who have already had to travel to Camp Nou and now face a trip to the home of their city giants.
Speaking ahead of the game (h/t Madrid Xtra), Rayo Vallecano manager Benat San Jose was asked which Real Madrid player he would like to remove from the team before this weekend’s game.
Surprisingly, his choice was not Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior or Thibaut Courtois.
“Mourinho”
Asked which Madrid player he would take out of the upcoming contest, Benat jokingly chose the man sitting on the opposition bench.
“Which Real Madrid player I’d remove from the match against them? Mourinho,” Benat said with a laugh.
The answer might have been delivered jokingly, but the Rayo coach immediately made clear just how highly he rates the Portuguese manager.
“He’s one of the best managers in history,” he added.
It is significant praise ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the Bernabeu.
Madrid’s squad contains enough individual quality to give any opposition coach several obvious answers, but Benat instead highlighted the influence Mourinho can have over the entire team.
That has become particularly relevant since the Portuguese coach returned to Madrid. His early work has focused on making a talented group function with greater collective discipline.
Courtois and Madrid’s attack also praised
Benat did not stop with the manager.
“They also have one of the best GKs in history and one of the best attackers in history,” he said.
Benat will definitely have seen how Thibaut Courtois played against Inter Milan in midweek and will hope that version does not turn up again this weekend.
Even when teams manage to create opportunities against Madrid, they still have to beat one of the defining goalkeepers of his generation.
At the opposite end, Madrid possess attacking quality capable of turning a match on its head.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham can all decide matches single-handedly.
Madrid have a point to prove
Madrid are coming off a disappointing loss to Real Betis in La Liga last weekend and will come into this game with a point to prove.
They will want to ensure that the loss to the Andalusian club was a one-off and that they return to winning ways against Rayo.
Their title rivals, Barça, have been flying high in the league, scoring goals and picking opponents apart for fun.
Madrid need to ensure that they do not hand too much early incentive to Barça, and it remains to be seen how Los Blancos fare against Rayo Vallecano.
