Real Madrid News
Vinicius asked to leave the pitch after receiving racist abuse during Valencia 1-0 Madrid
Vinicius Junior is no stranger when it comes to seeing the limelight, majorly for his performances on the pitch.
But there have been various instances where the player has been a victim of racial insults this season, primarily in La Liga. In another such, the Brazilian was a victim of racial insult during Real Madrid’s most recent game against Valencia.
Although a non-consequential game for Real Madrid, it was a crucial game for Valencia, who are dipped in the relegation battle this season.
Vinicius was quite involved in the game. He got into an altercation with the Valencia goalkeeper and slapped one of Valencia’s players, which compelled the referee to send him off with a second yellow card.
Just before going down to the touchline, Vinicius had allegedly made remarks about Valencia, suggesting they are going down to the second division, which infuriated both players and the fans.
Ugly scenes ensued when Vinicius complained to the referee about Valencia fans using racist chants against him. “I don’t want to play anymore,” he said to the referee after receiving the racist insults, as quoted by MARCA (h/t MadridXtra).
The stadium announcer was quick to urge supporters to not use racist insults, but another racism incident involving Vinicius is yet another sign of La Liga’s fan culture that has taken a turn for the worse, especially against the Brazilian this season.
In the end, Valencia did win the game 1-0, owing to the first-half goal from Diego Lopez. The result helped the club secure some breathing space from the relegation zone. But they are far from safe, and losing the last three matches of the season could spell trouble for Los Che.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, have relinquished their second place in the league table, with Atletico Madrid winning against Osasuna this weekend.
Real Madrid News
Harry Kane ‘very close’ to completing Real Madrid move, only final details remain – report
Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid was finally closed earlier today as officially confirmed by Borussia Dortmund on their website. Yet, the offices at Santiago Bernabeu have not even taken a break to celebrate their success.
According to reports from Alfredo Pedullà, Los Blancos are now completely focused on the acquisition of Harry Kane. The English striker’s arrival is very close to approaching closure and only a few details remain to be sorted.
The Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur representatives reportedly held a meeting today over the striker’s transfer. The agenda was to agree on a number for the transfer fee.
The Premier League side began the proceedings with an expectation of €100 to €110 million in exchange for Kane. However, the Merengues suggested a lower point at €80 to €90 million, albeit with the option to include bonuses.
There is not much separating the two parties at the moment, and the minor gap will be bridged in the coming days. Overall, the meeting ended with a broad understanding between the two clubs.
Carlo Ancelotti sees the English striker as the centre-piece of his attack for next season given the recent departure of Karim Benzema. After all, Kane has been one of football’s most consistent goalscorers over the past decade.
Yet, Los Blancos cannot afford to let their guard down with one signing and will need to rope in at least two more names in attack to serve as backup options. The exits of Mariano Diaz, Marco Asensio, and Eden Hazard leave them with no squad depth, after all.
Kane has scored 30, 17, and 23 goals in his last three seasons in the Premier League and is the epitome of consistency. Further, he had three assists in his most recent league season and created 14 big chances.
