Real Madrid News
Real Madrid’s 21-year-old starlet could leave amid England, Germany, and Belgium interest
Rafa Marin has been regarded as one of the brightest young talents to have come through Real Madrid’s youth ranks in recent years.
The 21-year-old centre-half has been a permanent fixture in the starting XI for Raul Gonzalez’s Castilla outfit that is on the verge of getting promoted to La Liga 2.
But given the competition for sports in the senior team, the Spanish prospect is yet to make his debut for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
And, as such, AS is reporting that Marin could be on his way out of Real Madrid this summer in light of a lack of a clear pathway to the first-team setup at the Santiago Bernabeu. The youngster is attracting interest from clubs in England, Germany, and Belgium.
Marin’s current contract with Real Madrid expires in 2024. And while talks over a renewal have been ongoing, his future still remains up in the air.
It had been suggested that Marin was prioritising a renewal with Los Blancos. But that could change due to the lack of opportunities with the first team.
As things stand, Ancelotti has Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Antonio Rudiger vying for the starting centre-back spots. On top of that, Nacho Fernandez has also renewed his contract for another year.
Furthermore, even though Real Madrid are looking to sell Jesus Vallejo, the defender does not wish to leave this summer, blocking the way for Marin into the senior setup.
As such, Marin could decide to move on in the summer. Real Madrid have historically sold young talents but done so by inserting buyback clauses in the agreements, a strategy they might follow if the 21-year-old does opt to leave.
Life at Real Madrid has gotten off to a rather torrid start for Turkish starlet Arda Guler, who has already faced a large number of setbacks since singing for Los Blancos.
Aged just 18, the winger-slash-midfielder has already picked up seven injuries in his senior career, which is cause for serious concern, especially since a couple of them have affected his ligaments – which is always bad news.
Hotly-tipped to be an exciting addition to the Madrid squad going forward, the youngster had to drop out of their pre-season tour early due to a meniscus injury.
This was treated conservatively, but after that did not yield good results, he had to undergo a procedure and seemed set to make the squad against Las Palmas, before another injury setback.
According to Diario AS, the new problem can keep him out for three weeks to a month, which means his Real Madrid debut may have to wait till early November, after the first El Clasico of the season on 28th October.
Guler’s history of fitness problems
In their report, AS also state that the Turkish teenager seems to have a propensity for injuries, accumulating seven of them in his career already.
There is also word going around that his recovery from this meniscus issue was rushed and not handled adequately.
That, combined with a stroke of bad luck means Real Madrid have to be very mindful of how Guler is reintegrated into the squad going forward.
This new injury is reportedly a thigh problem which will also need to be treated with caution.
A special recovery plan
Carlo Ancelotti stated before and after the Las Palmas clash that the plan was for Guler to have some minutes against the Canary Islanders, but he said that genetics, luck and a lack of sharpness have a big part to play in this relapse.
The Italian manager did say that this issue is not as serious, but all signs indicate that there is an urgent need to work on the youngster’s conditioning.
AS thus say that a specific plan has been devised since the summer to enhance Guler’s fitness and his resistance.
This is a programme that is reportedly similar to the one Rodrygo followed when he arrived from Brazil, much thinner than he is today, but without having sacrificed his football qualities.
