Real Madrid News
Real Madrid ‘love’ Chelsea defensive target, have been interested in him for a long time
With the World Cup just getting over, many stars made their names with impressive performances in the tournament in Qatar.
Real Madrid had been keeping their eyes closely on the World Cup in order to get their hands on the next rising star. Enzo Fernandez of Argentina, who won the Best Young Player of the competition award, has reportedly made a big impression on Carlo Ancelotti.
Another player who seems to have left a mark on Real Madrid is Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol. Indeed, as per a report from MARCA, the 20-year-old RB Leipzig star is ‘loved’ by Los Blancos, who have had their eyes on the centre-back for a long time now.
Gvardiol was easily one of the best central defenders at the World Cup and played a key role in Croatia finishing third in the tournament. The towering defender even scored a stunning goal in the Vatreni’s third-place playoff game against Morocco.
Gvardiol moved to Leipzig only last summer in a deal worth €18 million but his value is through the roof now after an impressive spell in Germany followed a strong run at the World Cup.
Real Madrid are planning to strengthen the roster for the future and Gvardiol fits into the plans very well. However, a move for him would depend on several factors such as Nacho’s continuity at the club, with his contract expiring in the summer.
On top of that Ferland Mendy’s future could also have a say on whether the Merengues move for the Croatian. The left-back’s contract expires in 2025 and a renewal is not in sight at the moment due to his wage demands. His departure could open the doors for a new arrival, with David Alaba moving to the left-back spot.
However, Real Madrid will have to compete with Chelsea, who are also strongly interested in signing Gvardiol and could splash a huge sum to secure his services.
At the same time, RB Leipzig are in no hurry to sell Gvardiol and will play hardball should any club make an approach for him. So, it will not be easy to land the Croatian at this point, but he remains on the discussion table at Valdebebas.
Arda Guler’s Real Madrid stint has not gotten off to the start he would have hoped to have given the expectation that preceded the transfer.
Having joined in the summer after Real Madrid outbid their competition to win him over from Fenerbahce for a 20-million-euro fee, buzz was high as the winger was expected to slot into the team quite seamlessly, albeit on a rotational basis.
Unfortunately for the 18-year-old, he has been constantly marred by injuries since completing the move.
Reports have stated that after Guler picked up his third injury since his move, Real Madrid have been concerned and want to take things slow with the player to ensure he is fit as soon as possible after an injury to his quadriceps this time.
The Turk is yet to make his competitive debut for the club, and Real Madrid even sacked their medical chief in November, in light of their injury crises since the beginning of the season.
No loan deal for Guler
However, according to Fabrizio Romano in a recent YouTube video, he states that Madrid maintain full trust and patience in the youngster.
Despite his bad luck with injuries, the latest of which he is scheduled to return from after Christmas, the Galacticos have no intention of loaning out Guler to Turkish clubs despite lots of speculation of them doing so of late.
Romano states that Madrid remain firm on not shaking things up too much with the squad, and they want to keep their roster stable, including Arda Guler.
They want to extend their full support and protection to the player as he aims to return to full fitness and finally make his bow for Madrid either by the end of this month or in 2024.
