Real Madrid News
Real Madrid president not convinced about January signings, will make the final call
While Real Madrid’s numbers may not suggest any lingering issue, the matter of the fact is that the team is struggling for both form and fitness.
While the former has improved in recent weeks, the team has not enjoyed much luck in terms of injuries with the list only growing in size.
Dani Carvajal’s season-ending injury last week sent the alarm bells ringing in Madrid and MARCA brings to light the cascade of reactions it set off.
Immediate meeting convened
As relayed by the Spanish outlet, Carlo Ancelotti, Santiago Solari and Jose Angel Sanchez immediately called for a meeting after the team’s latest injury setback to analyse the situation and squad depth in detail.
The trio sat down to discuss and analyse the manager’s options position by position in terms of natural options, backup names and academy options. The objective was to understand the need to enter the winter transfer market.
Ancelotti is clear that the squad requires new signings in January, not only because of the long-term absentees but also because of the regular wear and tear suffered by players during the hectic schedule.
Solari and Angel Sanchez, in fact, also side with the manager especially in terms of the defensive situation.
Perez is still unconvinced
Despite all three key figures in the Real Madrid hierarchy siding together in terms of pushing for summer signings, Florentino Perez is very sceptical of the same and insists the club stick to their anti-winter transfer window idea once more.
The trio will thus present their findings to the club president soon. No decision over a signing in January has been made yet and will be taken based on Perez’s stance.
Even if the president opts against a new signing, Ancelotti has a plan in place to manage the situation with the existing resources. His worry, however, is that nine months of the season are still yet to come.
Real Madrid opted to renew Antonio Rudiger’s contract this past summer to keep him at the club for one more season.
The 33-year-old veteran defender, though, has not been performing at his best, with physical problems taking their toll and age starting to catch up with him.
As such, the expectation is that Los Blancos will not extend his contract again when his current one expires on 30 June 2027.
Tottenham eye Antonio Rudiger
And, according to reports relayed by AS, Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a free-transfer swoop to sign Rudiger in the summer of next year.
The north London club are understood to be keen on reinforcing their backline next year and see the German defender as an option, given his experience in the Premier League and the fact that he would be available for free in the summer.
So far this season, Rudiger has played only five games for Real Madrid, amounting to a total of 396 minutes.
The 33-year-old has even chipped in with two goals, including the all-important winner in the 4-3 comeback victory over AS Roma on Wednesday night.
Time to move on?
Despite Rudiger being a hugely respected figure in the Real Madrid locker room, he is currently the third-choice centre-back for Jose Mourinho.
After all, summer signing Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen have been preferred by the manager so far in the new season.
Moreover, with Eder Militao set to return imminently after a lengthy injury layoff, Rudiger’s game-time could be impacted further.
Given the situation and factoring in Real Madrid’s plans to sign another centre-back next summer, it is pretty much evident that Rudiger does not feature in the club’s plans for beyond this season.
As such, a separation of ways seems pretty likely when his contract expires, and Tottenham are now positioning themselves as early suitors to sign Rudiger as a free agent in 2027.
