Real Madrid News
Real Madrid to test Man City’s resolve with an audacious summer move for superstar
In a major development, Miguel Delaney of the Independent is reporting that Real Madrid are plotting to test the resolve of Manchester City by making an audacious swoop for Erling Haaland in the summer window.
Haaland signed for the Cityzens only last summer, arriving from Borussia Dortmund. The Norwegian international has made a devastating impact in his debut season in the Premier League, but talks over his future at the Etihad have already started doing the rounds.
While his signing by City was seen as a statement amidst interest from heavyweights like Real Madrid, the recent allegations over FFP breaches have left the Premier League champions staring at the possibility of losing their top players.
On top of that, there have been questions over Haaland’s suitability to Pep Guardiola’s tactical setup despite his stunning goal output this season.
Amidst this, Real Madrid are now said to be considering testing Manchester City’s resolve by making an approach for Haaland in the upcoming summer.
Los Blancos are set for a revamp in the coming seasons, with Jude Bellingham their primary target for the next transfer window. The England international is seen as the ideal successor for Luka Modric and work is being done to land him from Dortmund.
At the same time, the Merengues are now looking to try and make a play for Haaland’s signing as well, even though the initial plan was to move for him in the summer of 2024.
The report states that the Norwegian international is happy at Manchester City but is not seen as someone who will stay at a single club for a long time.
And Real Madrid are hoping to test the waters with an approach as they look to usher in a new era, with manager Carlo Ancelotti’s future also not certain.
It is unlikely that Man City will let Haaland leave just a year after signing him. But if they are sanctioned for their alleged breaches, things could get out of their hands. And Real Madrid will be waiting in the wings to swoop in if that happens.
In less than two weeks, Real Madrid will play hosts to Premier League giants Chelsea in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It is a repeat of last season’s Champions League quarter-final, with the change being that the first leg was played at Stamford Bridge back then, which Real Madrid won triumphantly.
So, even though they lost the second leg 3-2, Los Merengues progressed on aggregate. At one point in the second leg, Real Madrid were 3-0 down and looked to be crashing out of the tournament.
But, that is not how the match played out as Luka Modric produced a moment of magic, sending in a stunning outside-of-the-boot pass for Rodrygo to guide home. That forced the match into extra time and Karim Benzema then scored to seal an aggregate win for his team.
Mateo Kovacic, a former Real Madrid midfielder, was on the losing side with Chelsea on that fateful night. And the Croatian has now spoken to Sportske Novosti, about that moment of magic from Modric last year as well as the prospect of facing Real Madrid again.
“We were good against Real Madrid last year, especially in Madrid. Then Modrić invented that trivela assist for Rodrygo… We have to be at 120% against them. They immediately punish every minor mistake. Although I repeat, we are also a difficult opponent for them, we showed it,“ Kovacic said.
On the prospect of facing his close friend and national teammate Modric, Kovacic added: “[laughs] how the draw arranges it… It won’t be easy for us because Real Madrid is always the most dangerous team in the Champions League.”
“It’s a strange feeling to have Modric as a rival. There were hard fouls last year because neither he nor I pull back. We will fight for sure. I play on the left, he’s on the right, we will see who wants what. But I wouldn’t like to hurt him,” he added.
Chelsea had met Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League during the 2020/21 campaign as well and had managed to eliminate them at the semi-final stages on their way to winning the title.
While the Blues have not been in the best of form this season, they have the star power and quality in their ranks to hurt Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti’s men must be at their best to get through to the next round.
