Real Madrid News
Real Madrid still intend to close Mbappe’s signing before the season starts – report
Journalist Rodrigo Faez has reported that Real Madrid are still hoping to sign Kylian Mbappe this month. In fact, the team from the capital city want to close the operation before the start of the new season.
The reporter adds that everyone at Real Madrid are extremely attentive to PSG’s transfer movements.
They have kept a keen eye on their summer business by noting how quick they were in acquiring the likes of Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona and Goncalo Ramos from Benfica.
What is happening with Mbappe and Madrid?
A lot has been said about the French forward’s potential move to Real Madrid. The World Cup winner’s current contract with PSG ends in 2024 and since he does not wish to extend it further, the Ligue 1 champions are pushing him towards an exit.
The player, however, has made it absolutely clear that he wants to see out his contract, meaning that he wants to leave PSG for free in the summer of 2024.
Now, this is where the tension first surfaced. PSG do not want to bear a loss next year, hence they sent the forward a clear ultimatum that either sign a contract or leave this summer.
As for Real Madrid, they are willing to be mere spectators of this entire charade. Those sitting in PSG offices are of the idea that their star man has already arranged a free transfer to Madrid in 2024.
What will Real Madrid do?
A few days ago, we reported that Madrid are hoping to resolve the issue as soon as possible and if everything goes to plan, Mbappe will be a new Real Madrid player by the second week of August.
Judging by the complication of the matter, it is expected that the deal could go down the wire. It is no surprise that Madrid want Mbappe and even the player wants to move to the capital city, but everything depends on the agreement.
As of today, Madrid have not made any advancements nor are they willing to pursue the Frenchman as they did back in 2021.
It has been suggested that they want to test PSG’s resilience – the first move must come from either the Parisians or the player himself.
But if Real Madrid do wish to close his signing before the start of the season, that strategy might not work.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
