Real Madrid News
Real Madrid veteran defender wanted by two Premier League clubs – report
Real Madrid are in a tricky situation with regard to the future of long-time defender Nacho Fernandez. The 32-year-old, a club academy man, has entered the final year of his contract with Los Blancos and is yet to sign an extension.
While the reigning champions of Spain and Europe are believed to have already tabled a contract offer for the veteran star, he has stalled negotiations as he is unhappy with his role in the squad.
Indeed, Nacho has found game-time hard to come by this season as he is behind Eder Militao, David Alaba and summer signing Antonio Rudiger in the pecking order under Carlo Ancelotti.
The lack of minutes have led to concerns within the player who has thus stopped talks over an extension at this point.
Alerted by this, as reported by Mundo Deportivo, two Premier League clubs – Aston Villa and Wolves – have shown an interest in signing Nacho.
Both Premier League sides have appointed new managers in recent times, with Villa handing over the reins to Unai Emery and Wolves’ naming Julen Lopetegui as the boss.
Emery knows Nacho well from his time as a manager in Spain and is said to be an admirer. Meanwhile, Lopetegui has worked with the 32-year-old during his spell in charge with Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.
Both managers are said to be keen on signing Nacho and are closely watching his developing situation at Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, as iterated earlier, the Merengues want to see the 32-year-old remain at the club and have put forth a one-year extension offer. However, in case he chooses to move on, the La Liga champions will not stand in his way.
The ball is in Nacho’s court now as he assesses his options and decides whether to renew, or remain at Real Madrid until the summer and leave as a free agent, or seek an exit in January itself.
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.
