Real Madrid News
Real Madrid very likely to re-sign 23-year-old former defender next summer
Ferland Mendy has struggled to live up to the hype around his move to Real Madrid despite being given enough opportunities over the past few years. The French international was touted to be the next big left-back in world football but his attacking displays have not been impressive enough.
Furthermore, contract talks with the former Olympique Lyon man have not progressed either, leading to doubts about his future at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid, thus, have kept a backup option in mind to take over duties at left-back from next season. Ironically, the candidate is a product of the club’s own academy.
According to reports from AS (h/t Madrid Xtra), Los Blancos are seriously considering bringing back Fran Garcia into the team next season and are impressed with his performances at Rayo Vallecano.
When Real Madrid took on Rayo Vallecano two months ago, the defender delivered a man-of-the-match display that included a sumptuous assist. In fourteen games for the La Liga side, the 23-year-old has provided two assists and been a pillar in both attack and defence.
Garcia has made the most of his €2 million move to the Vallecas and broken through as one of La Liga’s finest talents. It was always his idea to use an intermediate club as a stepping stone to return to Madrid, and that dream seems close to being fulfilled.
“I have always said it and never hidden it: one of my dreams is to return to Real Madrid,” he said earlier this year when asked about the possibility of returning home.
Real Madrid still owns 50% of Garcia’s rights and will not have to shell out a large amount for his signing. Given the quality the left-back brings to the table, one can barely find a downside to the deal from Los Blancos’ perspective.
According to a recent report from Fabrizio Romano (h/t Madrid Xtra), there is nothing concrete at the moment between Harry Kane and Real Madrid. The two parties have not held any talks and a potential transfer is distant.
Los Blancos’ admiration of the English striker is not a novel development for the Spanish giants have been monitoring his situation for a couple of seasons now.
Tottenham’s high financial demands coupled with Karim Benzema’s breathtaking form kept Kane’s pursuit out of sight, but the situation has now changed.
Real Madrid’s French striker may be the current Ballon d’Or holder but he has struggled to recreate his form this season. His subpar performances and age force the club to look for a new face and Kane is unsurprisingly back in the mix.
The England captain has a contract with Spurs that runs until 2024 and he has not agreed on a new deal with the Premier League side. His dire drought for trophies at the club level could force him to move to greener pastures and there is a long line of suitors awaiting his availability.
Manchester United and Bayern Munich both, like Real Madrid, are in need of a new centre-forward and thus join the Merengues in Kane’s pursuit.
The 29-year-old striker has started 28 Premier League games for Antonio Conte’s side this season, scoring a whopping 21 goals and providing two assists in the process. The fact that his goal tally came off a relatively low xG of 15.6 shows Kane’s effectiveness in front of the goal.
Karim Benzema is likely to renew for another season, but the summer could see the Galacticos go all out for a big-name striker. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are some of the other names considered, though it is clear that neither of them would arrive cheap.
