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Falling 3-1 to Paris Saint-Germain in their first pre-season friendly will not perturb Zinedine Zidane’s trust in his 4-3-3 formation.In considering trying out a 4-4-2 in time for the new La Liga season, the coach remained coy, citing the tactic that won the Champions League in 2015/16 as his preference.

“We will see what happens against Chelsea, we know how we are going to play throughout the year, with three up top and three in midfield, but now is the time to test things out and we have played with two strikers in the past,” the Frenchman told the assembled press.”We did some things well. It was obvious that we lacked physical fitness, but it is our first game and we have only had 10 days of training, so it is normal.

“Generally, I am happy, not due to the defeat, but for the rest of the performance.”We are picking up pace, but we know that we have to start La Liga strongly and play very well, with a bit more aggression that we have been missing, above all in the first half.

“On a positive note, I enjoyed the game, we had chances to score, but we have to work more tactically to improve bit by bit.”Zidane has also been vocal in sharing his opinion that youth should be given a chance and the opportunity to show what they are capable of.

“We have to throw the youth in there, because you have seen that they are good players and when they have a chance they are going to make the most of it.”They are good players, but they are still young and they know that they have to go bit by bit, but you have to include them in the team’s dynamic if you can, the fact that later on we will have a great squad is what is important.”

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Real Madrid continue to work away behind the scenes on signing Paul Pogba this summer, with Zidane having asked Madrid boss Florentino Pérez to bring the French midfielder in, but it looks increasingly likely it will be Manchester United who sign the player.

Real Madrid are baulking at the eye-watering 110 million euros, or more, Mourinho is willing to splurge on the player, plus another 25 million euros or so to his agent Mino Raiola.

To cover the likely scenario where Pogba doesn’t come to Madrid, Bernabéu bosses are looking at other cheaper options as their plan B. Moussa Sissoko is one name in the mix, with English press reporting that Real Madrid have an offer prepared to send to Newcastle as soon as United and Juventus announce the Pogba transfer.

The Telegraph goes even further and says a deal is imminent, with Newcastle accepting they can’t fight off the Spanish giants. Rafa Benítez has apparently known for weeks about Sissoko’s intention to leave the club and all the Spanish coach can do now is get the best deal he can for the player. The French international was generally considered to have had a poor season last year, but shone at the recent Euro Championships.

A good deal for Newcastle would be to get 35 millions for the 26 year old midfielder. They might well get close to that figure, with Real Madrid likely to be bidding against Juventus of Turín, Borussia Dortmund and Everton for the player’s services.

The other player Real Madrid are looking keenly at is Marco Verratti. Zidane likes the player, but PSG have never shown any signs they want to sell him. Furthermore the French club are starting a new period under Emery and getting rid of one of their bigger names doesn’t appear to be an option.

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One of the most spoken about of the Valdebebas kids is Martin Ødegaard and this time the talk is about the young Norwegian leaving, temporarily, his current home of Madrid. When he returns from the preseason with Zidane – a preseason adventure that was stipulated in his contract – club officials will sit down with the player’s father, Hans-Erik, to assess where the most suitable loan destination should be. The current thinking is that the Bundesliga would be best.

The youth side has been strengthening its ties with the German championship recently with this summer’s transfer activity seeing Mayoral leave for Wolfsburg and Vallejo and Mascarell both join Eintracht. In Ødegaard’s case, he is currently receiving 1.2 million euros, and doesn’t turn 18 until Mid-December, so the finances of any loan deal would need to take this into account.

Ødegaard made his unofficial debut for the reserves on 4 February, in a 3–3 friendly draw with Beijing Guoan. He was subsequently named in the first team’s UEFA Champions League squad. Ødegaard was assigned the number 21. His official debut for Castilla came on 8 February, coming on in the last 20 minutes as a substitute in the 2–2 draw against Athletic Bilbao B in Segunda División B. On 21 February, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 win over Barakaldo CF at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano, opening the scoring after seven minutes.

On 23 May, in the final fixture of the season, he made his debut for Real Madrid, coming-on as a 58th-minute substitute for hat-trick scorer and then-reigning FIFA Ballon d’Or Cristiano Ronaldo in an eventual 7–3 home win over Getafe CF. He became the youngest debutant in the history of the club at 16 years and 157 days old.

Ødegaard was a regular starter for Castilla during the 2015–16 season with one goal in 34 appearances with the second team of Real Madrid.

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Despite lifting the Champions League trophy at the end of last season there is a big task ahead for Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, and as he surveys his options during pre-season, Alvaro Morata is set to jump straight into his starting XI. Zinedine Zidane is already well aware of the fact that Cristiano won’t be fit for the European Super Cup final and that Gareth Bale will be a close call. That’s probably why he’s started looking at alternative line-ups, including a two-man strike force.

The Frenchman is still without the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos after their European Championship exploits but will look to give all other available players some minutes during this tour.23-year-old forward Morata spent the last two seasons with Juventus and had looked destined to leave the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu once again, but with no offers meeting Real Madrid’s valuation, the Spanish international will start for Los Blancos against Paris Saint-Germain in Ohio on Wednesday.

Knowing Morata well from his time in charge of the youth sides, and judging by his training sessions this week, Zidane looks set to pair the youngster in attack with Karim Benzema in a 4-4-2.Two of the young players that Real supporters are excited to see are 20-year-old Marco Asensio and Paraguayan forward Sergio Diaz, who could both feature at some stage.After the match against Paris Saint-Germain, Real have two more friendlies in the United States; against Chelsea and Bayern Munich before the UEFA Super Cup with Europa League champions Sevilla on August 9.

The squad conducted their eleventh training session of the pre-season without both Marco Asensio and Mariano, who trained apart from the rest of squad in the gym. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas, meanwhile, continues with his recovery program following an operation on his left foot back in June.

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Just a day before the first pre-season game, Zinedine Zidane is satisfied with his Real Madrid players although he has not shut the door on strengthening the squad with Paul Pogba.

Facing Paris Saint-Germain in the International Champions Cup in Ohio, Zidane is set to deploy Alvaro Morata up front, the Spaniard being the only major signing amongst a summer filled with speculation of potential Galacticos.

One such player is Paul Pogba, who has reportedly been on the edge of a move to Manchester United, with Los Blancos’ interest seemingly receding.”I don’t know if [Pogba] will come but we have until August 31 to see what happens,” the coach told reporters.”Everyone is interested in Pogba as he’s a great player and you always want the best to come to Madrid.”But he’s not a Madrid player, he plays for Juventus and I can’t say anything else.

“Travelling to the States after time in Montreal, Zidane is content with how training has gone so far although feels there is always room for improvement.”It has been a spectacular week and the players already want to go out and play,” he added. “You can always get better but it’s difficult to improve on our squad.”We win with these players although there are always players out there who can make the team even better.

“Stressing that James Rodriguez would be staying at the club, the former France international then turned his attention to the PSG match as it is their first test ahead of the 2016/17 season.”[Rodriguez] is a Madrid player and is going to stay with us,” Zidane noted.

“[The PSG friendly] is the premiere match for us and we want to do well. We’re going to play all 22 players so everyone gets a chance.
“We’re going to play with two forwards and we’re going to take advantage that we have two No.9s.”Facing Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup on August 9, the Frenchman must prepare his side without a number of key players after the summer tournaments.”We are working well although we are missing players,” Zidane explained.

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Real Madrid are yet to make a decision on Jese Rodriguez’s future but the attacker is set to have no shortage of potential suitors this summer.

First-team opportunities are likely to prove limited for the 23-year-old with the European champions’ formidable front line of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema now supplemented by the arrival of Alvaro Morata.And with James Rodriguez, Isco and a returning Marco Asensio continuing to stake a claim, Jese’s prospects at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu appear bleak.

Morata himself, Carvajal, Vázquez or Casemiro left Real Madrid and spent seasons away from the Spanish capital, managing to perform well and secure a spot in Madrid’s first-team, something that Jesé could be capable of as well. The attacker wants to stay and fight for a spot this pre-season, although he will most likely spend the year away from Madrid in order to improve and gain more experience.

Los Blancos are prepared to listen to offers for the forward, with clubs in La Liga and the Premier League known to be interested in the player who made 81 appearances in all competitions for the club. Jese enjoys a good relationship with Zinedine Zidane but the Real coach has recommended that he considers opportunities elsewhere that will afford him more game time than he currently enjoys.

And, according to Marca, with his first-team opportunities now even more limited, Jese could be sold for the right price before the window shuts. Although he made 28 La Liga appearances last term, he started only seven matches, scoring a total of five goals.

Despite having a strong relationship with manager Zinedine Zidane, it has been reported that the Frenchman has advised Jese to consider opportunities elsewhere given his age.

That will come as good news to both Arsenal and Liverpool, who have tracked the Gran Canaria-born ace in the past. However there are a number of Spanish clubs who will be hoping to keep him in La Liga this summer, too.

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Real Madrid are keen to hang on to Lin Lianming, 19 year old Chinese winger, who played in the Juvenil A side last season.

Real Madrid have already rejected two offers for the player. The first of seven million euros and a further one of 10 million euros from Hebei China Fortune. Hebei have a number of former stars who previously played in Europe in their ranks, including Lavezzi, Gervinho and M’Bia.

Hebei are keen to bring the Chinese gem back to his homeland after he left for Real Madrid last summer. He was signed by the Spanish giants for 300,000 euros from Guangzhou R&F FC, who were coached at that point by former Getafe man Cosmin Contra.

However Real Madrid, who fought competition from Chinese Sides Guangzhou Evergrande and Shandong Luneng last summer for his signature, aren’t willing to let him go at this point, not even for 10 million euros.

This summer, Lin Liangming started in Santiago Solari’s first game in charge of Real Madrid Castilla, with Los blancos beating Gimnástica Segoviana 1-3. Solari’s primary objective, by which all recent Castilla managers have ultimately been judged, is to restore the side to Segunda Division as swiftly as possible.

In the 45 minutes he played, Lin showed his potential: direct football, speed, and agility on the ball. the China U20 international is making quite a name for himself in what is a highly-talented Real Madrid U18 side. The 19 year old left sided winger has four more games to impress Solari before the start of the season. A technically-gifted winger who joins the Under-19s from Guangzhou, he is capable of a changing the game at any moment. He is powerful, direct and very quick with the ball at his feet, qualities that make him an outstanding attacking player.

His next game with Castilla will be on Saturday 30 July against Leganés in the Alfredo Di Stéfano stadium at 19:00.

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Real Madrid duo Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric have jetted off to the United States to join their team-mates.
The Spanish giants are currently in Canada ahead of their match against Paris Saint-Germain in Colombus on Wednesday.

Ramos and Modric are now set to join the squad in Ohio. The duo had been given an extended period of leave following their exertions at Euro 2016 for Spain and Croatia respectively. idane continues to welcome back more of his first team squad as they arrive from their respective extended holidays post summer exertions with their national teams.

The most recent to get back to work are Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric and little time was wasted sharing these photos on their social media account.

Neither side performed as well as they might have hoped at the competition in France. Spain, looking to retain the European Championship, went out at the hands of Italy in the Round of 16.
Croatia, who were considered potential dark horses to win the tournament, also exited in the Round of 16. They lost 1-0 in extra-time to the eventual winners Portugal.
After a period without football, Modric was clearly excited by the prospect of getting back to action for his club.

He wrote on Instagram: ‘Travelling to Ohio, US to meet up the team… Looking forward to it…(sic)’.
Ramos and Modric were both part of the Real side that won the Champions League last season under manager Zinedine Zidane.

They managed to beat fierce rivals Atletico Madrid in a penalty shoot-out after being held to a 1-1 draw in normal time by Diego Simeone’s side.

Real will, however, be hoping to improve on their display in the league last season.
They struggled to match up to eventual La Liga winners Barcelona until Luis Enrique’s side faltered towards the end of the campaign.
Madrid will also take on Chelsea and Bayern Munich as part of their tour of the United States over the next month.

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Real Madrid have not enjoyed enormous success in the transfer market this summer. While they have managed to loan out some of their younger talents and sell back-ups Denis Cheryshev and Alvaro Medran, incoming deals have been restricted to just Alvaro Morata – who returned from Juventus on a buy-back deal.

Over the past two weeks, Real have seen two key targets slip from their grasp: N’Golo Kante — who was on top of Zinedine Zidane’s wishlist, according to Marca — went to Chelsea and Andre Gomes performed a sudden – and shocking – switch to arch rivals Barcelona, after Real had tracked him all summer.

Improving a squad that has just been crowned champions of Europe isn’t easy, but Zidane does need reinforcements. It seems clear from the two attempted deals that the midfield remains a priority area for the French manager, so here are some considerations as alternative options between now and the closing of the transfer window.

It doesn’t take much imagination to figure that Real’s longstanding interest in Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba might ramp up a notch pretty soon. Aside from the French international’s astonishing technical and physical traits, his standing as a big player on the world stage naturally appeals to a club that attempts to convey the same status and prestige.

Madrid, of course, have Casemiro in place as the holding midfielder and finding another version isn’t easy, but one who stacks up to Kante’s output is relegated midfielder Idrissa Gueye – who is down in the Championship with Aston Villa at present. It sounds absurd that Real might opt for a player who has been relegated, but the Senegalese destroyer was one of the few bright spots for his team last term and came close to matching Kante for his defensive work.

In other words, he’s perhaps as stylistically different from Gomes as it’s possible to be, without being a goalkeeper.

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Varane

Real Madrid may be away in North America on a pre-season tour preparing for the upcoming season but, as always, transfer rumours are never far behind.

French centre-back Raphael Varane sat down with the press this afternoon in Montreal to discuss his future – amid rumours of a move away from the club – as well as his teammates and the club’s summer signings.

“I’ve spoken with Zidane and I’ve decided to stay,” he said. “I feel loved by the club and the fans, they treat me as if I’d been here all my life.

“I want to give everything I possibly can. I feel the best is yet to come.”

Varane, now in his sixth season at the Bernabéu, was displaced from the starting XI towards the end of the last season with Zidane preferring to pair Pepe with captain Sergio Ramos. However, he remains confident in his ability.

He said: “In life you take decisions. I’m happy here and I want to stay here for a long time.

“I could never have imagined what I’ve achieved here, to have played so much and to have won so many trophies. I want to continue playing here; it’s an honour to wear the shirt.”

The French defender was also asked about fellow Frenchman Karim Benzema and his state of mind ahead of the new season – after the forward was forced to miss out on the European Championships in his home nation.

Varane added: “Karim is really focused on getting match fit. He’s happy and really keen to start playing again.”

He was, however, reluctant to say much when pressed on the prospect of teaming up with Paul Pogba next season.

“He’s a friend of mine and of course we’ve spoken about it,” he said. “He’s an amazing player but I don’t know what he’ll do.

“That’s up to him. All I can say is that we have a great team and that ultimately it’s the club’s decision.

“I can’t say much more than that.”

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