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Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi has joined the list of candidates to become the next Real Madrid forward, sources from Spain have revealed.

Spanish newspapers are reporting Los Blancos could be ready to make a 45-million-euro bid for the Argentinian in the next winter transfer market.

Fort the past few months, Los Merengues have been seeking for a man who can give Karim Benzema some rest, as the Frenchman is the only pure number 9 in the squad. Cristiano Ronaldo has also been playing in that position, but he prefers to play in the right wing.

After the recent legal problems Benzema has been involved in, Florentino Perez has reportedly asked to reinforce the search for a new striker, someone who could even end up replacing Benzema should the France international continue getting in trouble.

Icardi is one of the finest strikers in the Italian league. He arrived at Inter from Sampdoria in 2013 and he has quickly become one of the leaders in the squad.

However, Inter are not willing to let him go before the end of the season, and that could be an obstacle for Real.

Yet, Los Blancos are considering several players for the job, and Icardi is not the first choice. Alvaro Morata, Alexandre Lacazette, Alex Teixeira and Jamie Vardy have also been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

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PSG defender Thiago Silva says signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid will give the Ligue 1 champions the best chance possible of winning the Champions League.

The Brazilian faced the 30-year-old forward recently as the two teams met in the group stage of this season’s competition.

Ronaldo has long been linked with a move to Paris as speculation surrounds his future post-Los Blancos. PSG are backed by oil-rich Qatari owners and would have no problem meeting any transfer fee nor Ronaldo’s wage demands.

In quotes published by AS, Silva said Ronaldo would take PSG to the next level in they quest to win Europe’s biggest prize.

“It is a pleasure to play with great players and Cristiano is the best in the world. If the club want him then so do we the players as well. He is a great football player, technically indispensable for any club and above all for PSG, who dream of winning the Champions [League],” he commented.

Although no transfer is expected to happen any time soon, Silva said Ronaldo would hae no trouble settling in Paris and already speaks good French.

“I noticed that he speaks French well, perhaps better than I do. If he comes next season he will have no difficulty speaking to the media.”

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Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has been ruled out of Spain’s international friendlies against England and Belgium through injury, it has been confirmed.

The Los Blancos defender injury his should in the process of scoring a spectacular bicycle kick goal for his team in the 3-2 loss to Sevilla on Sunday.

Having suffered a dislocated should back in September – the same one his injured again at the Sanchez Pizjuan – the Spanish FA and Real Madrid are taking no chances on the star man’s fitness.

In quotes published by Canal Plus, the defender himself said he is in no shape to join up with the 2010 World Cup winners and needs to focus on is recovery now.

“First I have to recover. I hope to have a scan on Tuesday, but it will be difficult to go with the national team if I couldn’t continue today,” he commented.

And he added: “The priority is to recover because it is another relapse. I have played four or five games with injections and this is the type of injury that if you are not careful can cause a lot more problems.”

Following his withdrawal, national team boss Vicente del Bosque called up Real’s Nacho Fernandez as cover – a fine reward for some excellent form he has shown of late.

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Leonel Messi

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique says star striker Leo Messi could take his place in the line up against Real Madrid in two weeks time.

The Argentinean striker and talisman of Los Cules has been sidelined since the end of September with a cruciate ligament injury. While he has been on the treatment table, his fellow strikers Luis Suarez and Neymar have done their part to make up for his goals, and last season’s champions sit top of the table after 11 games, three points clear of their arch rivals.

Messi had long been penciled in for a return in the Clasico, which takes place on November 21 after the international fixtures. But some reports have suggsted the 28-year-old had suffered a set back in his recovery and could miss the high profile clash.

Following their 3-0 win over Villarreal, boss Enrique hinted that Messi could be back in the team though.

“[Messi’s] still in the recovery process. He only has two weeks left [and will be back] either before or after the game against Real Madrid,” Enrique told journalists.

Los Blancos will be hoping to have one of their key men – Gareth Bale – back for the clash. He is close to recovering from a calf problem picked up on international duty.

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Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro says his team mates can’t be down for too long following the defeat to Sevilla on Sunday.

Los Blancos slipped to their first reverse of the campaign, going down 3-2 at the Sanchez Pizjuan despite taking the lead through Sergio Ramos after 22 minutes.

The players now break for two weeks to play international fixtures but upon their return they face league leaders Barcelona in the first Clasico of the season.

Speaking to reporters, Casemiro said that while the result was disappointing, the players need to move on quickly in order to face the tough challenges ahead.

“We played well in the first half but we failed to kill off the game and then we played poorly in the second half. It’s a tough ground and we conceded three goals, but we have to keep our chins up because there are still plenty of matches to go,” he commented.

And he continued: “We’re unhappy with this result, but we have to start thinking about the Clásico now, and there’s no better match to that for bouncing back. We’re capable of winning. We’re Real Madrid and we’ve already shown in La Liga and the Champions League that we’re capable of playing well.”

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Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez says the players need to pick themselves up quickly after the defeat to Sevilla on Sunday.

Los Blancos went down 3-2 in southern Spain – their first loss in the league all season. The defeat means they are three points behind last season’s champions Barcelona going into the Clasico in two weeks time.

Sergio Ramos opened the scoring at the Sanchez Pizjuan but Sevilla hit back with three goals. Rodriguez marked his return to first team football with a goal deep into stoppage time but it was too late to salvage a point.

“When we win, we all win; and it’s the same when we lose. There’s no point talking about individual performances. We need to be in good shape for the next game though, which is against Barcelona. They’re in good form but we’re Real Madrid and it’s going to be an interesting match,” he told journalists afterwards.

Speaking about his return to first team duty, the Colombian added: “I’m happy to be playing again after spending 60 days sidelined. I felt good on the pitch and I want to help the team win matches. Sevilla really pressure teams here, they press and we also have to take into account the fact that we didn’t play well. They were good and played with intensity, which I think was the key to them winning.”

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Sergio Ramos

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos says the Sanchez Pizjuan is one of the toughest places to visit in La Liga and admitted they were outplayed by a superior Sevilla side.

Los Blancos slipped to a 3-2 defeat on Sunday night – their first of the season – after taking the lead through Ramos’ spectacular overhead kick.

The loss means Rafa Benitez’ side go into the Clasico in two weeks time three points behind Barcelona, who beat Villarreal at the weekend.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Ramos stated: “Things didn’t go at all well and that was reflected in the scoreline. This is one of the toughest grounds to come to in La Liga because of the supporters and the fact that we were up against a wounded Sevilla side, which is when they’re at their most dangerous.

“Therefore we shouldn’t focus too much on our poor performance but talk instead about how good Sevilla were and their second half performance, when they knew how to make the most of their chances.”

He went on to add: “Our mistake was that we were a bit too static. These are things that can happen during games. This is where La Liga titles are won and today we dropped three very valuable points. We’re going to try and switch gears after the international break. La Liga is a very long competition and thousands of things can happen, but it’s never good news when you drop points.”

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Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez says his players didn’t manage the situation when they were leading against Sevilla.

Los Blancos let a one goal lead slip at the Sanchez Pizjuan to lose 3-2 – their first defeat of the season and one that leaves them three points behind rivals Barcelona in the league going into the Clasico.

Sergio Ramos had given the visitors the lead with an acrobatic bicycle kick before the hosts stunned Real with three goals in reply. Jame Rodriguez got on the score sheet in the final minute but it was too little, too late.

Afterwards, Benitez said his players failed to keep calm when they were in control of the game.

“We played 30 really good minutes, we had real control in all areas and then we allowed them to score from a dead ball, and that affected us. They made the most of mistakes by us to get the third goal and we scored a second at the end, but it wasn’t enough. For a lot of the first half we saw a really good Real Madrid performance, and in the second half we couldn’t keep that going,” he said.

And he added: “We lacked the ability to manage the situation. The match seemed to be under control, and with their first goal they regained confidence and our mistakes allowed them to get stronger. We should have killed off Sevilla in that first half, and we didn’t. It’s difficult to react at 3-1 down.”

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Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season as they lost 3-2 at Sevilla and saw Barcelona move top of La Liga.

Rafa Benitez men were unlucky, as they missed many good chances to score and they lost Sergio Ramos after just 20 minutes.

The Spanish defender scored a stunning goal to make it 0-1 as his scissor kick found the bottom left corner of the net, but in the process he aggravated his shoulder injury and had to leave the field.

Gareth Bale put in a good performance as he returned from a few weeks on the sidelines, and he was close to doubling Real’s lead as he curled one from the edge of the box, but Rico managed to push it wide of the post.

Sevilla were not playing good football but the managed to draw before the break as Immobile converted from a wide angle after a corner had somehow been allowed to reach the far post.

The hosts took the lead just past the hour as Ever Banega converted from close range after receiving a super low cross from Konoplyanka.

James Rodriguez also made his return from injury as he replaced Isco and he had a big impact in the game, but goalkeeper Sergio Rico denied every Los Blancos chance to level.

Sevilla ended up sealing the victory as Llorente headed a super Mariano cross into the back of the net.

James Rodriguez shortened the hosts lead with a shot to the bottom corner in stoppage time, but it was already too late to savage a point.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent says the forward will end his career at Real Madrid.

The 30-year-old has a contract with the Santiago Bernabeu side until 2018 and there has been plenty of talk about his future – with PSG said to be interested in him.

The player himself has made no secret of his love for Manchester United and has been linked with a return to Old Trafford, while this week he even fueled speculation he could end up in the MLS.

But in an interview with Marca, superagent Jorge Mendes said his client would remain at the 10-time Champions League winners until he decides to hang up his boots.

“There is lots of speculation and a new story every day. But if you ask me I would say Cristiano will finish his career with Real Madrid and be there for many, many years,” he said.

He also revealed the truth behind Ronaldo’s move to United in 2003, which many have said was based on one brilliant appearance against them while playing for Sporting Lisbon.

“You have the wrong idea that Cristiano played a fantastic game against United and then afterwards they decided to buy him. It’s not true. All the big clubs wanted Ronaldo but Ferguson guaranteed him first team games. I was with him the night before and he said ‘if you come with me I guarantee he will play 50 per cent of the games.’ That was the key,” he stated.

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