Real Madrid News
Serie A giants have no intention to open talks to sell Real Madrid target – Romano
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has become one of the rising stars in European football this season. Currently plying his trade with Napoli, the forward has racked up ten goals and 11 assists in just 20 league matches this term.
His contributions in the final third have been critical in helping Napoli build a formidable lead at the top of the Serie A table, with the Partenopei currently leading second-placed Inter Milan by a whopping 18 points.
Unsurprisingly, Kvaratskhelia’s performances have not gone unnoticed either. Real Madrid are among the clubs interested in the services of the Georgian international, who is regarded as one of the most gifted talents to come out of Eastern Europe in recent years.
According to Fabrizio Romano, however, Real Madrid and other clubs’ interest in Kvaratskhelia is ‘normal’ at this point.
However, Napoli, for their part, are not too keen on offloading their star player either. Romano suggests the Italian league leaders have no intention to talk to any club over the future of Kvaratskhelia.
The 22-year-old has a contract in Naples until 2027, giving them the leverage to hold out for a fortune. Recent reports already suggest that the explosive attacker could cost in excess of €100 million in the summer.
This could be problematic for Real Madrid, who are prioritising the signing of Jude Bellingham at the end of the season. The Spanish giants have appeared reluctant in meeting the Englishman’s hefty asking price and cannot spend a fortune on any other player.
Therefore, it will not come as a surprise to see Real Madrid miss out on Kvaratskhelia if he does indeed leave Napoli at the end of the season, which itself looks like a highly unlikely prospect at this point.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid captain Benzema still not 100% fit, suffering from ankle discomfort – report
Karim Benzema put in another decrepit display as Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat to FC Barcelona on Sunday night, which all but ended their hopes of defending the La Liga title.
The 35-year-old had sat out of Los Blancos‘ previous La Liga encounter against RCD Espanyol due to ankle discomfort, but returned for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie versus Liverpool.
While Benzema scored in that game, he hobbled off the pitch with his ankle issue resurfacing. It led to him missing training last Friday, but returned to the squad for El Clasico after participating in training on Saturday.
However, he looked rusty and uninspiring during the defeat on Sunday at Spotify Camp Nou. Now, ABC (h/t Madrid Xtra), is reporting that Benzema is still not near 100% fitness and is struggling with his ankle issue.
It is further claimed that the Real Madrid captain continues to feel discomfort game after game.
Despite this being the situation, Carlo Ancelotti continues to play his ace striker in almost every match.
But the blame must be shared by the club as well, as they did not sign a new centre-forward in the summer or in January when they were aware of the striker’s fitness issues this season.
The Merengues let go of Luka Jovic and Borja Mayoral in the summer and did not sign a replacement, leaving Benzema and the out-of-favour Mariano Diaz as the only options at the manager’s disposal.
Rodrygo did well on occasions when deployed as a No.9, but it evidently clear that Real Madrid cannot go through an entire season relying on a 35-year-old centre-forward.
Alvaro Rodriguez may have emerged as an option of late, but Real Madrid will be repeating the same mistake again if they do not go for a new striker before the next season starts.
