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Former Atletico de Madrid defender, Joao Miranda, is attracting the interest of Real Madrid, according to reports in the Italian press.

The Brazil international, 31, joined Inter Milan last summer but could be on the move again after just one season in Seria A, sports website Tuttosport claims.

His agent, Jorge Mendes, is believed to be looking for a top European club to take him this summer with Miranda hopeful that he can win the Champions League before he reaches the end of his career.

Los Blancos will have some reshuffling to do at the back this summer with Pepe and Alvaro Arbeloa both expected to leave the Santiago Bernabeu. Miranda would provide a perfect foil for Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane at centre back and knows La Liga inside out having spent four years at the Vicente Calderon.

The report says that a fee of around 20 million euros should secure Miranda’s signing although Los Blancos would face competition for his signature. Manchester United are on the lookout for a new defender and with Jose Mourinho expected to take over at Old Trafford in the summer, Miranda has been linked with the Red Devils as he shares the same agent as the former Real boss. German giants Bayern Munich are also thought to be keen.

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Real Madrid have confirmed the squad that will face Roma in the second leg of the last-16 round of the Champions League.

Toni Kroos and Luka Modric have recovered from their injuries and have been picked by Zinedine Zidane. Gareth Bale has also made it in the list and is expected to feature in the starting line-up for the first time in seven weeks.

Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas, Kiko Casilla and Ruben Yañez.
Defenders: Raphael Varane, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Daniel Carvajal and Danilo.
Midfielders: Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale, Casemiro, Mateo Kovacic, Lucas Vazquez, Luka Modric and Isco.
Attackers: Cristiano Ronaldo and Jese Rodriguez.

Karim Benzema remains on the sidelines. However, youngster Borja Mayoral, who has started in the last two games in the striker position, has been left out by Zidane.

Los Merengues have a 0-2 advantage from the first leg and should qualify for the quarter-finals without problems.

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Real Madrid are looking to raid Tottenham Hotspur for yet another midfielder – Dele Alli – this summer, according to reports in Spain.

The youngster has impressed at White Hart Lane this season helping the side to second in the table and a realistic chance of winning their first league title for 55 years.

Such has been his form though that a number of top European sides have taken notice and Real would like to steal a march on them and secure his signing this summer ahead of any potential transfer ban coming into place.

Should the 10-time Champions League winners manage to capture the signing of Alli, who is expected to be called up for England duty at this summer’s European Championship, it would be the third major signing from Spurs in recent seasons.

Luka Modric joined the 10-time Champions League winners in 2012 and was joined a year later by Gareth Bale. Both players were instrumental as Real won the Champions League and Copa del Rey in 2014 and followed those up by lifting the European Super Cup and World Club Cup.

19-year-old Alli has scored seven goals and provided six more in an impressive first full season as part of the main squad at Spurs.

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Former Real Madrid manager Bernard Schuster has criticised Los Blancos squad, which he considers to be “unbalanced.”

In an interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero, the German coach said: “Real Madrid need a team of starters. The squad is unbalanced. I think it is ridiculous that Mayoral plays if Benzema is injured and that Danilo plays at left-back if Marcelo is injured.”

Schuster believes the squad should have been better planned in order to avoid these type of unusual situations that have contributed to Los Blancos failure in La Liga.

Speaking of Cristiano Ronaldo’s brilliant goals against Celta Vigo, Schuster praised the new manager: “I expected Zidane would be able to explain Ronaldo which is the best way to shoot the free-kicks. His ‘folha-seca’ is widely known across the world. Now, he is seeking a more controlled and less powerful shot.”

Schuster also praised the Portuguese for his good performance: “He is a goal scorer. Goalscorers don’t play good games. Like Raul or Hugo Sanchez, goalscorers score goals. Period.”

* For more Real Madrid news, check out the related posts below.

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Mats Hummels warming up - CARMEN JASPERSEN/AFP/Getty Images

Real Madrid have started planning their squad for next season and one of the priorities will be the signing of a centre-back.

With Pepe and Alvaro Arbeloa expected to leave the club at the end of this season, Los Blancos will be in need of reinforcing their defence.

The arrival of a left-back who can give Marcelo some rest is crucial, but Zinedine Zidane also wants to bring another world-class centre-back. Many players have been linked with Los Blancos in the past few months. According to Spanish website Fichajes.net, these are the top four candidates to arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu.

1. Aymeric Laporte

Aymeric Laporte
The Athletic Bilbao man is reportedly Zidane’s favourite for that position. He is only 21 years old and has a bright future ahead. Thus, many European giants will fight to sign him, including Manchester City and Barcelona. According to the latest reports, Athletic would prefer to sell him to a foreign club and the Citizens could be close to sealing the deal. However, playing under Zidane would surely motivate the France international and Los Merengues believe they can seduce him.

2. Mats Hummels

Real Madrid have pursued the signing of the Germany international for many years. The 27-year-old is the most experienced of all the candidates and he is at the top of his career at the moment, which could be exactly what Los Blancos need. Many expect him to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer and Real will be ready to offer him a good deal. Several Premier League clubs are also expected to join the race to sign such a talented defender.

3. John Stones

John stones
The Everton defender is one of the most sought-after players in the Premier League at the moment, what makes his signing really difficult. The Liverpool side are expecting to get at least 50 million euros for him, and Los Blancos are not ready to spend that ammount in a defender. Thus, the 21-year-old will most likely sign for one of the Premier League giants, who seem ready to bid much higher. Anyway, Los Blancos past experiences with British defenders have not been good.

4. Shkodran Mustafi

The Valencia man is another defender who is destined to become one of the world’s greatest in the next few years. Despite being 23 years old, he is considered one of the most mature and solid centre-backs in La Liga. He has become a crucial piece for Gary Neville and for Valencia to let him go they would expect any club to offer more than 40 million. Given the numerous signings Real are expected to make next summer, that could be too expensive for Los Merengues.

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Daniel Carvajal

Daniel Carvajal has hailed the Real Madrid fans for getting behind the team despite recent disappointments.

Los Blancos beat Celta Vigo 7-1 on Saturday afternoon at the Santiago Bernabeu to help erase the memories of the painful defeat to Atletico de Madrid last weekend.

The fans were getting restless towards the end of the first half as Real leas by just the one goal, but they blew away the visitors with six second half strikes, leaving their followers in fine voice and positive about the team once more.

“The fans got behind us. Unfortunately our last home game was a defeat in a derby game and fans were behind us. The fans are demanding and in the first half, where it was difficult to open the scoring, perhaps they became a little frustrated, but in the second half everything went well. We tried to respond as best we could and I think that today everyone will be going home happy,” Carvajal was quoted by the club’s official website.

The right back also hailed Cristiano Ronaldo following his four-goal haul and said he hopes the Portuguese can keep up his form as Real go for Champions League glory.

He stated: “You have to congratulate him. We know that he is the best in the world and I hope he keeps scoring and helps us to win the Champions League at the end of the season. We are going to give absolutely everything and in La Liga we will try to keep up the intensity and compete at the top level in order to tackle the Champions League with the greatest guarantees for success”.

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Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro has hailed his team mates after their sensational second half performance against Celta Vigo saw them triumph 7-1.

Leading 1-0 at the break through Pepe’s goal, Los Blancos eased through the gears in the second period and hit the heights rarely seen this season.

Ronaldo netted four goals to take him past 350 for the club, while Gareth Bale made a goalscoring return to the side. Jese Rodriguez also found the net in an emphatic win for Zinedine Zidane’s side.

In quotes published on the official club website, Brazilian midfielder Casemiro said the second half was perfect.

“It was a great game from the entire team and we showed that we are strong at home. We played against a great side, that play very well, and we have to value our win. The second half was an amazing game, we all played better, and the tactics fitted better. This is the way forward, we have to show that we are Real Madrid and that we will keep fighting,” he stated.

He went on to hail Cristiano Ronaldo, who now has 27 league goals to his name this season.

“Cristiano is an out of this world player, we know that already and at any moment he can score goals. He is the best in the world and we are used to that. He is a goal machine. He keeps working hard as always to help Madrid,” he added.

 

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Lucas Vazquez
Jose luis Morales competes for the ball with Lucas Vazquez - Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

Real Madrid winger Lucas Vazquez says he is grateful to boss Zinedine Zidane for giving him the chance to prove his worth in the team.

The midfielder started against Celta Vigo to continue his run in the side in recent weeks and spoke after the emphatic 7-1 win about how much he is enjoying his football at the moment.

The former Los Blancos youth team player re-joined the club from Espanyol in the summer but initially struggled to get much game time under previous boss Rafa Benitez.

After the final whistle yesterday, Vazquez stated: “I am working like always. The manager is committing to me and on the pitch I have to show what I can do and help as much as possible. At the moment, Mayoral and I are getting the chance to play, and we have to do so as well as possible.”

Discussing the game itself, in which Real went into the break leading 1-0 before blitzing their opponents with six second half goals, including four from Ronaldo, Vazquez commented: “We knew that it was going to be a difficult game against an opponent that plays really well. In the first half we had chances to make it more than 1-0 by the break, but sometimes in football chances do not go in. In the second half, we came out very strongly in the first few minutes, we scored and we sealed the game.”

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Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale admits it is great to be back in the first team fold after a difficult few weeks with injury.

The Welshman made his return to action as a second half substitute in the 7-1 win over Celta Vigo on Saturday afternoon and made his mark by grabbing a goal. The 25-year-old has missed the last few weeks with a calf problem but says he is looking forward to helping the club end the season on a high.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Bale said: “I’m very happy after a few difficult weeks. It is great to win in this way, to come back, play and score, but the most important thing is the three points. At the break we spoke about playing faster in the second half and trying to score quickly. The most important thing was to keep boosting the team’s confidence and play well.”

Bale took time to acknowledge the fans too for their support in recent weeks. And despite being a long way off in the title race, he says the players will do all they can be be successful in the Champions League.

He commented: “it is great to have this support. We want to go forward together and with our fans we can achieve great things this season.”

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Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane praised Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese scored four goals in Los Blancos 7-1 victory over Celta Vigo on Saturday.

The Portugal international responded to the crowd’s whistles with a superb performance. Asked about the relationship with the fans, Zidane said: “His performance has been magnificent. This is part of football. This crowd is very demanding. This is good for us to improve and become better. You know Cristiano, he is capable of scoring four goals or as many as he wants. There are very few players who can do it, that’s why he’s unique.”

Asked about Ronaldo’s incredible goals from long range, Zidane admitted: “I don’t know how to define it. It’s something incredible, something that only he has. I used to shoot free-kick from a shorter distance and never scored four goals. Very few players are able to shoot that way.”

Many of the regular substitutes had the chance to play against Celta and the manager was happy with their performance: “I want everyone to play because all of them are great players. Today all the changes have worked. We’ve had great energy in the field.”

Asked about Gareth Bale’s return, Zidane confessed he was pleased with the Welshman’s performance: “He’s fine. He was happy for the goal and for having played. He has played good minutes. I think he is ready to play from the start against Roma, but we will see in the next couple of days. I think he is ready.”

Despite the big win, Real had problems during the first half. “There’s no explanation for that. I want them to play well during the 90 minutes, but that’s not always possible. For instance, against Deportivo it was the other way round, we played well in the first half and bad in the second half,” Zidane said.

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