Real Madrid News
Real Madrid target with €110 million exit clause names Liverpool as his ‘dream club’
RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol is attracting a slew of interest from clubs across Europe after his exceptional performances at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Indeed, the 20-year-old centre-half was one of the most standout performers for Croatia as they finished third in the tournament. There had already been considerable interest in the towering defender before the World Cup and it has only multiplied afterwards.
Real Madrid are one of the clubs to have taken a keen interest in Gvardiol. The likes of Manchester City and Chelsea are also said to be admirers of the RB Leipzig defender.
However, in a recent interview with Rtl (h/t MARCA), Gvardiol has revealed that he dreams of playing for Liverpool, having supported the Premier League giants from his childhood.
“My dream club? That would definitely be Liverpool. I used to watch a lot of their games with my father when I was a kid. We watched every season in detail. It’s a club that has stayed in my heart,” Gvardiol said.
While Liverpool have not been mentioned as suitors of Gvardiol, the defender’s comments could certainly alert the officials at the Merseyside club.
The Reds have been woeful in defence this season. Virgil van Dijk, who is currently injured and is a doubt for the game against Real Madrid next month, will be turning 32 in the summer. It could compel Jurgen Klopp & co. to look for reinforcements.
As for Gvardiol, he has a contract with RB Leipzig that runs until the summer of 2027. Reports in Germany, as cited by MARCA, have claimed that the defender has a release clause worth €110 million embedded in his contract.
With Nacho’s future in question, Real Madrid could do with additional cover in defence for the summer. However, it is unlikely that they will splash a big sum for a defender when they will be making a splurge to sign Jude Bellingham as well.
It hasn’t been a good week for Real Madrid, who look all set to relinquish their Spanish league title to arch-rivals Barcelona come the end of the season, following a narrow defeat to the Blaugrana at the weekend.
However, as Real Madrid enter the international break, there is some positive news for Carlo Ancelotti and his men.
As reported by Toni Juanmarti, Barcelona look set to miss out on their two star players in Ousmane Dembele and Pedri due to injury, ahead of the upcoming second-leg semifinal tie against Real Madrid, in Copa Del Rey.
Real Madrid are heading into this game with a 1-0 defeat in the first-leg, meaning they must beat Barça with a two-goal margin in order to book a place in the final. The absence of both Pedri and Dembele, to that end, could be a major boost for Ancelotti.
Pedri, who was expected to return to full fitness for the second leg, has suffered a relapse. It has set his return back to three or four weeks late, meaning the youngster will not return until the April 23 tie against Atletico Madrid.
The situation is not much different for Ousmane Dembele. The explosive attacker is recovering slower than expected and though he was tipped to return in the league game against Real Madrid this month, he remains a major doubt for this Copa Del Rey tie.
However, Barcelona did register a narrow victory over Los Blancos even without these two individuals, so the task is definitely cut out for Ancelotti and his men as they look to exact revenge against the Catalans in Copa Del Rey next month.
