Real Madrid News
Real Madrid monitoring Turkish wonderkid with €17.5 million release clause – report
Real Madrid have their work cut out this summer transfer window as they dive into the market hoping to reinforce several positions across the pitch.
They have already lost four forwards this window, including Karim Benzema, but also important squad players such as Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz, and Eden Hazard.
Brahim Diaz has been brought back from AC Milan, and Joselu’s signing seems to be on track, but that still leaves Los Blancos with just four natural forwards in their squad. Florentino Perez has confirmed there will be no more signings, but Madrid continue to assess the market for transfer opportunities.
One of the players on their agenda is 18-year-old Turkish wonderkid Arda Guler, according to a report by AS (h/t Madrid Universal).
Guler has been on the radar of several clubs for a few months after his impressive performances with Fenerbahce across the last two seasons. This campaign itself, he scored four goals and assisted three across a mere 20 appearances – 11 as a starter.
Despite his rising market value, Guler has a release clause of €17.5 million, and could be on the move as early as this summer. While an attacking midfielder by trade, he played across the frontline last season, including at right-wing.
Madrid do need reinforcements on the right flank of their attack after Asensio’s exit. While Rodrygo and Federico Valverde have put in multiple shifts in that role, neither of them is a natural winger.
After signing Joselu, Madrid’s priority numero uno will likely be Kylian Mbappe, who has decided not to renew his contract with PSG beyond 2024. Perez and co. want to sign the Frenchman this summer, but it seems the player has no intention of leaving.
Real Madrid News
Mbappe hits out at claims on his unhappiness at Real Madrid: ‘Angry at my great aunt too’
Kylian Mbappe has been in the news for a plethora of reasons in recent weeks, starting with his injury and surprise vacation. Beyond that, the Ballon d’Or saga has kept him in the spotlight for a reasonable while now.
The Frenchman, after all, has not held back in speaking out about why he deserves to win the prestigious individual award, and while it is perfectly okay to campaign for the award, it is something that has not usually been done in the past.
In terms of his goalscoring numbers, there is no doubt that Mbappe should be a frontrunner for the award. His lack of a single trophy for both club and country, however, works against his chances.
Mbappe’s sarcastic reply to baseless rumours
Earlier today, there were reports of Kylian Mbappe being angry with Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid for not campaigning for him to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
The rumours, needless to say, portrayed the player in a very bad light and made it seem like the club not making public gestures to acknowledge and back his campaign affected him personally.
Now, the player has himself come out to lash out at the journalists, albeit in a sarcastic manner. Commenting directly below the post making the claim via Fabrizio Romano, the player wrote,
“Yes, yes, I even got angry with my great aunt too.”
Mbappe’s ability to deal with such reports with a tinge of humour, needless to say, is impressive and it can only be good for his image that he spoke out and cut off the news at its roots.
Set to return
There has been significant concern around Mbappe’s fitness in recent weeks after the player left the French national team with an injury after their first game.
The initial diagnosis appeared worrying, but it soon came to light that the player had avoided a major setback by a hair’s breadth.
Now, there is increasing hope that the Frenchman will be back for Real Madrid’s first game after the break against Villarreal, possibly even as a starter.
Needless to say, that comes as a massive positive for Jose Mourinho’s plans ahead of a crucial stretch of the season.
