Real Madrid News
Real Madrid outcast could be headed for AS Roma loan move – report
According to Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Real Madrid misfit Alvaro Odriozola could be headed to Italian outfit AS Roma on a loan deal in the January transfer window.
The Spanish right-back spent the last season on loan at Fiorentina and was expected to depart permanently in the summer after returning to the Spanish capital club.
However, no exit materialised and Odriozola ended up staying put at Real Madrid. However, the 26-year-old has been out of favour under Carlo Ancelotti and has not played a single minute of competitive football in 2022/23.
With Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, and Antonio Rudiger utilised ahead of him in the right-back position, there is simply no place for Odriozola in the Real Madrid setup.
So, an exit in the January window has been mooted for a while now. AS Roma have shown an interest in the former Real Sociedad ace with Jose Mourinho on the lookout for a new right-back heading into the January transfer window.
And as per the aforementioned report, Odriozola could be closing in on a switch to the Italian capital club. The outlet bases this claim on a meeting between the Giallorossi and Giuseppe Bozzo, owner of AGB Sport Management, who had helped push the defender’s loan to Fiorentina last year.
It is further suggested that Odriozola could sign for Roma on loan until the end of the season, with Mourinho’s team likely to retain a purchase option for the Spanish full-back.
Real Madrid, for their part, are unlikely to pose any hurdles in the move. So, there might be a good chance that the transfer goes through in the winter.
Dani Ceballos is one of the players who has Real Madrid on the fence after his recent resurgence. The club appeared certain to part ways with the player during the commencement of the 2022/23 season but no longer find the decision as straightforward.
According to reports from MARCA, Real Madrid are in no hurry to renew Ceballos’ contract. Though his deal runs out in the summer, the Merengues prefer to focus fully on the competitions they are alive in instead of entering auctions for his renewal.
Ceballos has given Los Blancos the signal that his priority is to stay and is waiting for an offer from the board. However, nobody from the administration has contacted him yet.
Sniffing a moment of opportunity, Atletico Madrid have entered the scene and conveyed their interest in signing the midfield star. Los Rojiblancos have already called his entourage twice in recent weeks and a move away from the Bernabeu cannot be ruled out.
At 26 years of age, the Spaniard wishes for regular starts and playing time. It would be difficult for such demands to be met in Real Madrid owing to the sheer number of young prodigies rising in the middle of Los Blancos.
Come next season, Ceballos could be lost in the mix of Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde and veterans like Toni Kroos, while Jude Bellingham could also arrive.
Ceballos has made 19 appearances for the defending champions in La Liga this season, providing one assist in that duration. At just 10 starts and 44 minutes averaged per game, however, his role is clearly centred around the bench.
Moving to Atletico Madrid could thus work well in his favour for he is almost guaranteed playing time in Simeone’s system which is in dire need of a quality attacking midfielder.
The player is currently on international duty with La Roja for the Euro qualifiers. In the team’s opener against Norway, he came on at the hour mark and made a strong cameo with three key passes and a big chance created.
