Real Madrid News
Real Madrid set to face competition from Saudi Arabian club in the race to sign top defensive target
Despite having signed no less than three new defenders this summer, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is keen on further reinforcements at the back.
The Portuguese tactician is particularly looking for a new centre-back, in order to add more competition for the likes of Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao and new signing Ibrahima Konate.
Alessandro Bastoni has been widely regarded as the prime target for Los Blancos, but it appears the club are set to face fresh competition in the race to sign the Italian.
Al Hilal join race to sign Bastoni
According to Sky Sport Italy (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Al-Hilal have emerged as potential suitors for Bastoni, closely monitoring the Inter Milan defender who has long been coveted at the Bernabeu.
The report clarifies that there is no concrete offer from the Saudi club as yet, but manager Simone Inzaghi, who knows Bastoni well from their time together at Inter, is understood to be keen on reuniting with the centre-back.
Much like Real Madrid, however, Al-Hilal face a hurdle of their own. The Saudi side would need to offload one of their existing foreign players to comply with the league’s overseas quota before they could bring Bastoni in, complicating any potential move.
A deal dependent on outgoings
For Real Madrid, the situation is similarly tied to departures.
The club will not sign another centre-back until Raul Asencio is moved on, meaning Mourinho’s pursuit of Bastoni remains on hold for the time being.
Encouragingly for Los Blancos, the player’s own preference could work in their favour. As previously reported, Bastoni would choose Real Madrid if the decision were left solely to him.
The stumbling block, as ever, is the fee. Inter are said to be demanding around €75 million for their prized defender, especially given that the player, for his part, is not pushing for an exit.
With Al-Hilal now lurking and Inter holding firm on their valuation, Real Madrid may need to accelerate their plans, and resolve their own outgoings, if they are to land Mourinho’s preferred defensive target this summer.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
