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.
Real Madrid are back in action in La Liga tonight after the three-week international break as they take on Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Having lost their previous game against Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid will be eager to get back to winning ways, especially with Barcelona on track to secure three more points and extending their lead at the top.
Ahead of kickoff at the Santiago Bernabeu later tonight, manager Jose Mourinho has announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Villarreal.
The big headline is that captain Federico Valverde is fit enough to start in midfield after having successfully recovered from the Grade 3 ankle sprain he had sustained during the derby defeat three weeks ago.
The Uruguayan international partners with Aurelien Tchouameni in the middle of the park, while Jude Bellingham continues as the attacking midfielder for the hosts.
The other major news comes in the form of Jose Mourinho deciding to bench Vinicius Jr., with Yan Diomande starting on the left wing.
Arda Guler slots in on the right flank, while Kylian Mbappe, having recovered from the minor injury he sustained during the international break, spearheads the attack.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alvaro Carreras get the nod as the two full-backs flanking the centre-back pairing of Ibrahima Konate and Antonio Rudiger. Thibaut Courtois guards the Real Madrid goal.
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— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) October 10, 2026
