Real Madrid News
Real Madrid youngster will be registered as a first-team member next season – report
Alvaro Rodriguez is the talk of the town at Real Madrid after the 18-year-old saved the team from a defeat against neighbours Atletico Madrid this past weekend.
The young striker, coming on as a substitute late in the derby, found the back of the net with a thumping header to equalise and salvage a point for Carlo Ancelotti’s men at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Following the match, manager Ancelotti confirmed that Alvaro Rodriguez will be a part of the first-team setup from next season.
Now, ABC (h/t Madrid Xtra) is reporting that the 18-year-old will be registered as a first-team member with La Liga next season and will be given a proper first-team kit number between the range of 1-25, instead of him continuing as a Castilla player.
The report adds that Ancelotti likes the young Uruguayan a lot. And that is likely to translate into a greater role with the senior setup starting next season for the teenage prodigy.
Speaking about Rodriguez after the Atletico game, the manager said: “He has shown all his quality and it is a special night for him and for us because we are beginning to realise that he will be useful in this part of the season.”
“For next season he will be in the first team squad because he has the quality that few others have. For his age, he is tall, powerful, and a formidable header. In this last part of the season, we will evaluate if we need him, which I think we do, Castilla or both.”
Rodriguez signed for the Real Madrid youth academy from Girona in 2020. He has made 33 appearances for Castilla, scoring nine goals and setting up four more.
Meanwhile, the 18-year-old has three senior appearances, in which he has scored and assisted one goal apiece.
Manchester City have now joined the ever-growing list of admirers for Celta Vigo midfielder and Real Madrid target Gabri Veiga, reports Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail.
The 20-year-old midfielder has emerged as one of the breakout stars of La Liga this season, having impressed with his goalscoring abilities from the centre of the park. Indeed, the youngster has notched up nine goals in La Liga and his exploits have made the giants of Europe sit up and take notice.
Real Madrid are said to be interested in Veiga’s services heading into the summer. The Merengues have Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Dani Ceballos on expiring contracts and it is unlikely that all three will be renewed, especially with Jude Bellingham being on the agenda.
In case of Modric and Kroos, even if they stay, it will likely be for only a season at the most. Hence, Los Blancos could require more than one central midfielder come summer, with Veiga emerging as an option.
The 20-year-old was also attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid. Now, Manchester City have also jumped on the bandwagon of clubs interested in Veiga’s services.
The Cityzens, who are battling Real Madrid for Bellingham as well, are set to lose Ilkay Gundogan in the summer when his contract expires. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva’s future is also far from certain, thus necessitating the signing of another midfielder.
Veiga has a release clause worth €40 million in his contract with Celta Vigo, which should not be a problem for either Real Madrid or Manchester City.
Celta Vigo president Carlos Mourino recently admitted that the midfielder could leave the club in the summer, saying:
“We don’t want to sell Gabri Veiga, but they are going to buy him from us. And we can’t do anything there. We know some of his offers and it is impossible to reach them.
“There are several teams behind Gabri. Real Madrid? They haven’t asked us, we don’t know if they will have called the player. Of the top 10 in the Premier League, four have asked about him.”
It will certainly be interesting to see whether Real Madrid are prepared to go all out for Veiga’s signing or decide to entirely focus on their pursuit of Bellingham.
M5
February 27, 2023 at 12:29 pm
Why don’t include him now instead of next year?