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.
According to a recent report from Fabrizio Romano (h/t Madrid Xtra), there is nothing concrete at the moment between Harry Kane and Real Madrid. The two parties have not held any talks and a potential transfer is distant.
Los Blancos’ admiration of the English striker is not a novel development for the Spanish giants have been monitoring his situation for a couple of seasons now.
Tottenham’s high financial demands coupled with Karim Benzema’s breathtaking form kept Kane’s pursuit out of sight, but the situation has now changed.
Real Madrid’s French striker may be the current Ballon d’Or holder but he has struggled to recreate his form this season. His subpar performances and age force the club to look for a new face and Kane is unsurprisingly back in the mix.
The England captain has a contract with Spurs that runs until 2024 and he has not agreed on a new deal with the Premier League side. His dire drought for trophies at the club level could force him to move to greener pastures and there is a long line of suitors awaiting his availability.
Manchester United and Bayern Munich both, like Real Madrid, are in need of a new centre-forward and thus join the Merengues in Kane’s pursuit.
The 29-year-old striker has started 28 Premier League games for Antonio Conte’s side this season, scoring a whopping 21 goals and providing two assists in the process. The fact that his goal tally came off a relatively low xG of 15.6 shows Kane’s effectiveness in front of the goal.
Karim Benzema is likely to renew for another season, but the summer could see the Galacticos go all out for a big-name striker. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are some of the other names considered, though it is clear that neither of them would arrive cheap.
