Real Madrid News
Real Madrid veteran will join pre-season training tomorrow – report
As Real Madrid prepare for the upcoming campaign at the club’s training facilities, Carlo Ancelotti will welcome one of his linchpins, Luka Modric, to the pre-season camp tomorrow, reports Guillermo Rai of The Athletic.
Real Madrid started training for the upcoming campaign last Monday with only a handful of first-team footballers returning and training with players from Castilla over the past week.
The players who were involved in international fixtures last month had been given an extended break and Modric is among those.
The 37-year-old midfield maestro was in action for Croatia in June as he led them to the runners-up finish in the UEFA Nations League.
Having enjoyed his extra week of break, Modric is now expected to rejoin the group tomorrow in Spain, just before the team flies off for the pre-season tour of the United States of America.
Modric will follow the Spanish trio of Dani Carvajal, Joselu, and Nacho Fernandez who returned to training this past weekend after winning the Nations League with Spain.
The remainder of the players who are yet to return, such as Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo Goes, Vinicius Jr, and Aurelien Tchouameni, among several others, will join the squad straight away in the USA later this week.
Real Madrid are penned to play four fixtures on the trip to the US, including an El Clasico against Barcelona.
As for Modric, the 37-year-old rejected lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia this summer to sign a new one-year contract with Real Madrid.
But he will have tough competition for places in midfield heading into the new season following the arrivals of Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler.
Despite that, though, it is expected that he and fellow veteran Toni Kroos will continue to be important pieces in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.
Aurelien Tchouameni has had an exciting start to his career at Real Madrid. Since joining the club for almost €80 million last summer, the young Frenchman has now become a pivotal figure in Real Madrid’s midfield unit.
However, prior to his move to Santiago Bernabeu, the midfielder was closely linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni opened up on his links to PSG but revealed his decision to join Real Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni on PSG links
Talking about speculations linking him to PSG, Tchouameni said (h/t Madrid Zone), “PSG? Frankly, I thought about it. It’s a very big European club, we want the French clubs to succeed.”
“But honestly, when Real Madrid calls you, it’s very complicated to say no,” Tchouameni added.
The midfielder was linked with a move to PSG during his time at AS Monaco. Les Parisiens wanted to sign the youngster as part of their plans to reinforce the midfield unit.
Tchouameni, though, ended up opting for a move to Real Madrid, which turned out to be a prudent decision from the midfielder’s end.
Tchouameni’s career at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni made a total of 50 competitive appearances during his maiden season at Real Madrid.
Although the Frenchman was not entirely a first-team regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, his stature in the team is expected to grow in the coming years.
Especially as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric move on at the end of the season, there is scope for Tchouameni to become a first-team regular in the Real Madrid midfield in the years to come.
The former AS Monaco starlet has already played a crucial role in the starting eleven so far this season and it is only going to continue as the season progresses.
