Real Madrid News
Real Madrid see the €40 million signing of key superstar as a ‘historic success’
It was the summer of 2018 when Real Madrid decided to make a significant investment to strengthen their goalkeeping department, even though Keylor Navas was going strong.
The Spanish capital club splashed around €40 million (£35.5 million) to secure the services of Belgian shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea.
Since then, Courtois has scaled great heights at Real Madrid, firmly establishing himself as one of the best in the business, even though he had a difficult first year back in Spain.
The 30-year-old has been putting in clutch displays one after the other for Real Madrid and was crucial to their UEFA Champions League triumph last season, as he turned up with a spectacular performance in the finals against Liverpool.
As he gets set to take on the Reds again in Europe tonight, Mario Cortegana of The Athletic has come up with an extensive report on Courtois and how he is perceived by the club members.
The report states that Real Madrid see the signing of Courtois as a ‘historic success’ owing to everything he has done and achieved at the Santiago Bernabeu since arriving in 2018.
Since he joined the club, the Belgian international has won as many as eight trophies with Los Blancos – two La Liga titles, two FIFA Club World Cups, one UEFA Champions League trophy, one UEFA Super Cup, and two Spanish Super Cups.
Courtois signed a new contract with Real Madrid in 2021, committing his future to the Spanish capital outfit until the summer of 2026. The report outlines how the renewal was completed within a matter of minutes and was done with total discretion.
Courtois has played 25 matches in all competitions this term and has kept eight clean sheets. He has had a few injury troubles, but the 30-year-old remains one of Real Madrid’s most important players.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool monitoring 19-year-old Bundesliga wonderkid – Romano
According to Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool are all monitoring Bayer Leverkusen and Germany wonderkid Florian Wirtz.
After recovering from his ACL injury, the teenage sensation has been slowly working his way back to his best form. So far this term, Wirtz has managed to rack up a tally of two goals and six assists from 13 matches in all competitions.
The 19-year-old’s talent and potential have never been in question and hence it does not come as a surprise that elite clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool are all keeping tabs on the German international.
A versatile attacking midfielder, Wirtz is capable of playing anywhere in the final third of the pitch and backs up with top-notch end product. Be it as a false-nine or in a more withdrawn role, the youngster has excelled for Bayer Leverkusen, catching the attention of top teams.
Real Madrid, for their part, are also understood to be among Wirtz’s admirers. Given the situation surrounding Karim Benzema’s fitness and the lack of backup at the top, the youngster could be an option, as he has shown potential while operating through the middle.
But Barcelona also have a strong interest in the teenager with reports even suggesting that they have already made contact with his father to enquire about his situation.
At the same time, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is understood to be a huge admirer of his fellow German and with Roberto Firmino on his way out, Wirtz could be lined up as a possible replacement.
However, Romano adds that the expectation is that Wirtz could stay at Bayer Leverkusen for one more year and depart Germany once the UEFA Euro 2024 is out of the way.
For now, there have been talks or negotiations with any clubs, but Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool are all tracking Wirtz and his progress in Germany.
