Real Madrid News
Real Madrid request six-month extension in the ‘Negreira Case’ investigation
Real Madrid remain actively involved in the ongoing ‘Negreira case’, involving former Referees Committee vice-president Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira and FC Barcelona.
Far from adopting a passive role in the investigation, the club has formally requested an extension of the inquiry, MARCA reports.
If granted, the investigation phase would continue for an additional six months starting from 1 September.
The club’s legal department has submitted a request to the court handling the case, asking for the investigation to be extended until March 2026.
This move is aimed at fully clarifying the circumstances surrounding payments made by Barcelona to a company linked to Negreira between 2001 and 2018.
The case has now been open for two years and has even seen a change in the presiding judge. Real Madrid joined the legal proceedings after a period of assessment, concluding that the matter could indeed have had sporting implications.
The Catalans have maintained that the payments made to Negreira’s company were for technical reports on referees and scout reports on players.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has been critical of Real Madrid for their decision to enter the proceedings in the past.
“Madrid is not behaving well, they are doing an exercise in cynicism that is not acceptable. Judge Joaquin Aguirre has extended the investigation process at the request of Real Madrid, as contemplated in the procedure,” said Laporta last year.
“They have not found anything for a year, It has been shown that we have not bought referees and prolonging an instruction has a limit,” he added.
However, as Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has stated during recent club assemblies, the Merengues intend to see the case through to its conclusion. This latest request serves as further evidence of that commitment.
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.
