Real Madrid News
Real Madrid will not spend €30 million to re-sign former winger from La Liga rivals
It has taken some time but former Real Madrid prodigy Takefusa Kubo is finally starting to blossom in La Liga after a few middling seasons.
Regarded as one of the brightest young talents across the globe, Kubo, a former trainee at Barcelona’s La Masia youth setup, was signed by Real Madrid in 2019 from Japanese side FC Tokyo.
But with no non-EU spots available in the squad, the young winger was farmed out on loan, first to RCD Mallorca, then to Villarreal, and Getafe, before he returned to Mallorca for one more stint last season.
However, none of those spells were fruitful enough. And last summer, Real Madrid decided to sanction Kubo’s permanent transfer, letting him join Real Sociedad for €6.5 million, albeit while retaining 50% rights of the player.
And, the 21-year-old attacking prodigy is slowly starting to deliver on his potential. In 38 matches this term, Kubo has scored and assisted seven goals apiece.
Real Madrid, who have the option of matching any offer that arrives for Kubo, are understood to be monitoring him closely at Sociedad.
Kubo has a release clause worth €60 million in his Real Sociedad contract. And considering that Real Madrid own 50% of his rights, they could very well re-sign him for €30 million. But according to AS (h/t RM4Arab), Los Blancos will not lift a finger to bring him back to the club at that price.
Real Madrid face Real Sociedad later today at Reale Arena. On the eve of the game, manager Carlo Ancelotti spoke about Kubo and his progress, saying:
“He has been with us and is doing very well with Real Sociedad. We will talk about him in the coming months given the competition in the squad.”
However, as things stand, there are no plans to spend €30 million to bring Kubo back in the summer at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The player, for his part, has admitted that he is not thinking about a return to Madrid and wants to succeed with Sociedad.
“Right now I’m a Real Sociedad player and I don’t think about anything else. The coach looks after me very well, and so do my teammates. If it wasn’t for Real [Sociedad], I would have lost my ticket for the World Cup,” he had said, during the World Cup.
The cloud of uncertainty over Karim Benzema’s future has served as a major headache for the Real Madrid board, as they kickstart their team planning ahead of the new season.
Recent reports claim the Frenchman is strongly considering a move to Saudi Arabia, after receiving a lucrative €150 million offer from Al Ittihad. He was close to renewing his contract at Santiago Bernabeu not too long ago, but it appears the tables have turned lately.
Nevertheless, Real Madrid are yet to give up on Benzema and still harbour hopes of renewing his contract in the coming weeks, reports Alfredo Matilla.
The Spanish journalist suggests Real Madrid have not closed the file on Benzema. Coach Carlo Ancelotti has recently met the forward to clarify his future and it appears the club are set to do everything they can to keep hold of the player.
Benzema’s departure, after all, could put the club in a major dilemma, where they must either sign a top-class striker or settle for a low-cost alternative for the entirety of next season.
Harry Kane has been earmarked as the ideal replacement for Benzema. But his acquisition could potentially jeopardise Real Madrid’s bid to sign either Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe in 2024. The club have also faced difficulties negotiating with Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman.
As far as the low-cost options are concerned, Real Madrid are interested in Roberto Firmino, who will become a free agent in the summer.
However, the Brazilian international is not the most productive striker around and his struggles in front of goal could put more pressure on players like Vinicius Junior next season.
Real Madrid, therefore, will hope to keep hold of Benzema’s services for another year. Unfortunately, though, the player has given a cold response so far and left training early, without speaking too much.
So it will be interesting to see whether or not the veteran striker opts to remain at Bernabeu for another year.
