Real Madrid News
Real Madrid outcast wanted by Athletic Club in the summer – report
Real Madrid outcast Alvaro Odriozola is on the radars of fellow La Liga club Athletic Club, according to a report from El Correo de Bilbao.
A product of the Real Sociedad youth setup, Odriozola moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 but has never been able to nail down a regular spot in the starting XI.
After a couple of seasons warming the bench, the right-back had a loan stint at Bayern Munich and Fiorentina, before returning to Real Madrid last summer.
Upon coming back, the Spaniard had the option to leave the Merengues permanently, with Athletic Club showing an interest in him back then as well. But Odriozola chose to continue at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The full-back has played only six times across all competitions this term and looks certain to leave in the summer, with Real Madrid looking to refresh their squad by getting rid of players not in manager Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.
Odriozola is attracting interest from his former club Real Sociedad, but now their Basque rivals Athletic Club are also understood to be keen on signing the 27-year-old.
The report states that Athletic Club president Jon Uriarte is keen on signing the Real Madrid ace, after trying and failing in an attempt last year.
Odriozola’s contract expires next year and could be available for a much lesser fee than the €35 million that Los Blancos had shelled out for him. As iterated earlier though, they could face competition from Real Sociedad, who are also on the lookout for new full-backs.
Real Madrid News
Harry Kane ‘very close’ to completing Real Madrid move, only final details remain – report
Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid was finally closed earlier today as officially confirmed by Borussia Dortmund on their website. Yet, the offices at Santiago Bernabeu have not even taken a break to celebrate their success.
According to reports from Alfredo Pedullà, Los Blancos are now completely focused on the acquisition of Harry Kane. The English striker’s arrival is very close to approaching closure and only a few details remain to be sorted.
The Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur representatives reportedly held a meeting today over the striker’s transfer. The agenda was to agree on a number for the transfer fee.
The Premier League side began the proceedings with an expectation of €100 to €110 million in exchange for Kane. However, the Merengues suggested a lower point at €80 to €90 million, albeit with the option to include bonuses.
There is not much separating the two parties at the moment, and the minor gap will be bridged in the coming days. Overall, the meeting ended with a broad understanding between the two clubs.
Carlo Ancelotti sees the English striker as the centre-piece of his attack for next season given the recent departure of Karim Benzema. After all, Kane has been one of football’s most consistent goalscorers over the past decade.
Yet, Los Blancos cannot afford to let their guard down with one signing and will need to rope in at least two more names in attack to serve as backup options. The exits of Mariano Diaz, Marco Asensio, and Eden Hazard leave them with no squad depth, after all.
Kane has scored 30, 17, and 23 goals in his last three seasons in the Premier League and is the epitome of consistency. Further, he had three assists in his most recent league season and created 14 big chances.
