Real Madrid News
Real Madrid want to sell €25m-rated defender, Ancelotti prefers to keep him
According to reports from SER (h/t Madrid Xtra), Carlo Ancelotti would prefer for Ferland Mendy to stay at Real Madrid for the 2023-24 campaign. The Italian tactician does not want the events of last season to repeat and sees the Frenchman as an able backup if anything were to happen to the new left-back, Fran Garcia.
Unsurprisingly, the club do not concur. Real Madrid prefer to sell the player and recoup funds into their coffers. The administration do not trust his fitness, for he has faced recurrent setbacks over the past season.
Mendy, for his part, wants to stay at the club and fight for a starting spot, and is even hoping to sign a new contract. The three parties involved have three different evaluations of the situation and it remains to be seen who triumphs.
Last season, Ancelotti had only the Frenchman to count on as a natural left-back. Given his fitness woes, however, Eduardo Camavinga was forced to take up responsibilities in defence to cover the gaping hole.
The youngster did a phenomenal job in the estranged position. However, the coach sees him as a starting midfielder for the new campaign and thus does not want to risk a situation where Camavinga would be forced to play at left-back once more.
A lot, needless to say, will depend on Fran Garcia’s showing in pre-season. If the Spaniard maintains his form from Rayo Vallecano, Mendy could well move as per the club’s wishes.
If Garcia puts in a mediocre shift, however, there would be worry in the offices at the Santiago Bernabeu. In such a situation, Ancelotti would have to cover with Mendy for the coming campaign, for a new signing does not appear likely.
Come 2024, Real Madrid will look to sign Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies. The young Canadian full-back is one of world football’s most promising talents, and is even said to be amongst the three players Real Madrid feel compelled to sign for their future.
With the international break done and dusted, Real Madrid will be back in action this weekend in La Liga, where they will be looking to catch up to league leaders FC Barcelona.
Coming up for Jose Mourinho & co., who lost their last game before the international break, will be a home game against Villarreal on Saturday.
And, leading up to the game, the Spanish capital club have received welcome news on the injury front.
Mbappe back in group training
Indeed, as per MARCA, Kylian Mbappe will be available for Real Madrid’s match against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Having been training individually so far this week, the France captain rejoined group training under Mourinho today, taking a concrete step forward towards making himself available for the game.
The forward looked relaxed and ready to work, putting his boots back on and joining the group as Real Madrid prepare for a demanding run of fixtures throughout October.
And, unless there is any unforeseen setback, everything suggests that Mbappe will be ready to start against the Yellow Submarine come Saturday.
Under scrutiny
The past few weeks have been nothing short of eventful for Mbappe, with his every action and movement under heavy scrutiny.
Playing for France, in Zinedine Zidane’s managerial debut, the 27-year-old superstar scored a goal before asking for a substitution due to a knee injury.
Having flown back to Madrid, he underwent tests, which confirmed the injury, although it was not as serious as was initially feared.
The forward then took week-long holiday with his partner that sparked some debate among supporters and attracted criticism from multiple quarters.
Mbappe returned to Madrid on Monday and participated in individual sessions at Valdebebas over the past couple of days. Now he has resumed normal training with his teammates.
There had been doubts over whether Mbappe would be able to face Villarreal after he picked up the injury on 25 September.
However, the recovery plan followed by the forward appears to have worked, and he is now expected to be in a fully fit condition for Saturday’s match.
