Real Madrid News
Real Madrid most likely destination for Newcastle United midfielder if he leaves
After being acquired by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund in 2021, Newcastle United made sure to win the race for Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, signing him for €40 million.
Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City were among teams interested in his signature, but the Magpies moved fast enough in the winter transfer markets of 2022, and got his services.
Guimaraes has been a revelation for Newcastle this season, and is among the best in his position in Europe. He is also the catalyst for the English outfit as they look to secure a Champions League spot for the 2023/24 season.
Their success has accompanied a lot of eyeballs on Guimaraes, but Newcastle are set to fend off their interest by offering him a new deal. Should he choose to leave, though, Real Madrid are the most likely destination, as per The Telegraph.
Chelsea had inquired about him in January, but any approaches were rejected by Newcastle at the time. PSG are also keeping tabs on his situation, while Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has publicly talked about his admiration for the player.
A defensive midfielder by trade, Guimaraes can also play as a central midfielder. He is likely their backup option to Jude Bellingham, who will cost no less than €130 million. For that price, Madrid might fall out of the race for his signature.
Further, with Manchester City and Liverpool are interested in acquiring him in the summer, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder might prefer a move to his home country in the Premier League.
As for Guimaraes, he has a contract with Newcastle United until 2026, and will likely cost around €100 million as well.
In less than two weeks, Real Madrid will play hosts to Premier League giants Chelsea in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It is a repeat of last season’s Champions League quarter-final, with the change being that the first leg was played at Stamford Bridge back then, which Real Madrid won triumphantly.
So, even though they lost the second leg 3-2, Los Merengues progressed on aggregate. At one point in the second leg, Real Madrid were 3-0 down and looked to be crashing out of the tournament.
But, that is not how the match played out as Luka Modric produced a moment of magic, sending in a stunning outside-of-the-boot pass for Rodrygo to guide home. That forced the match into extra time and Karim Benzema then scored to seal an aggregate win for his team.
Mateo Kovacic, a former Real Madrid midfielder, was on the losing side with Chelsea on that fateful night. And the Croatian has now spoken to Sportske Novosti, about that moment of magic from Modric last year as well as the prospect of facing Real Madrid again.
“We were good against Real Madrid last year, especially in Madrid. Then Modrić invented that trivela assist for Rodrygo… We have to be at 120% against them. They immediately punish every minor mistake. Although I repeat, we are also a difficult opponent for them, we showed it,“ Kovacic said.
On the prospect of facing his close friend and national teammate Modric, Kovacic added: “[laughs] how the draw arranges it… It won’t be easy for us because Real Madrid is always the most dangerous team in the Champions League.”
“It’s a strange feeling to have Modric as a rival. There were hard fouls last year because neither he nor I pull back. We will fight for sure. I play on the left, he’s on the right, we will see who wants what. But I wouldn’t like to hurt him,” he added.
Chelsea had met Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League during the 2020/21 campaign as well and had managed to eliminate them at the semi-final stages on their way to winning the title.
While the Blues have not been in the best of form this season, they have the star power and quality in their ranks to hurt Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti’s men must be at their best to get through to the next round.
