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Seria A side Inter Milan have increased their efforts to sign Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez after they send scouts to watch him when Los Blancos faced PSG this week.

According to Madrid-based daily, AS, it is not the first time Rafa Benitez’ old side have tracked Jese, having sent a scout to Paris two weeks ago when the two European giants first locked horns in this season’s Champions League group stage.

The paper claims Inter have made Jese their number one transfer target when the window opens again in January and could look to take advantage of his growing frustration at a lack of regular first team football.

The former Real youth player has had to get used to a role largely as a sub for Ronaldo, Karim Benzema or Gareth Bale having overcome a serious knee injury a couple of years ago.

His stock rose rapidly when he emerged on the scene in the 2013-14 season, deputising for Bale and netting nine goals before his injury. There was even talk that he would be included in the Spanish World Cup squad heading to Brazil that summer.

Should Inter look to make a concrete offer in the winter, they could face competition from Premier League clubs. Chelsea may look to add some attacking impetus especially as Radamel Falcao continues to struggle in England, while Everton have previously been linked with the striker.

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Karim Benzema

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has been charged over his alleged involvement in a sex tape blackmail plot against international team mate Matieu Valbuena.

The pair were expected to be named in Didier Deschamp’s team for the upcoming round of friendlies, but having been charged, Benzema is not allowed to have any contact his the Lyon man.

The matter relates to an investigation opened in July over claims Valbuena was victim of an extortion attempt stemming from the discovery of a sex tape.

Last month, former France forward Djibril Cisse was taken into custody and released after questioning. On Wednesday, Benzema was arrested in France and was held by police. According to new agency AFP, the Los Blancos striker emerged from custody in Versailles at 9am on Thursday morning.

A public prosecutor has since released a statement on the situation. They said: “Karim Benzema was taken to the courthouse to be brought before a judge who will decide later on in the procedure. The judge will decide at the end of this presentation the status of Karim Benzema in the procedure, particularly his possible indictment or his placement under the status of assisted witness.”

Involvement in blackmail can carry a prison sentence of up to five years in France.

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Kiko Casilla says the players are aware of how important the game against Sevilla is this weekend and that they want to keep their good run going.

Los Blancos are unbeaten in all competitions this season and lead La Liga on goal difference ahead of Barcelona. After the game against the Andalucian side this weekend, many players will link up with their national teams for the next round of friendlies and European Championship play-offs, before resuming in two weeks time with the first Clasico of the season.

At a sponsors’ event on Wednesday, Casilla said the players know a win over Sevilla is vital to keep the momentum going.

“Real Madrid is the best side in the world. We know that we always have to win and that motivates us to be at our top level. Our aim is to compete for everything. We are on the right path and everyone in the dressing room wants the run to continue. The next game in Seville will be really difficult but we know that we must give everything to maintain this run of results. That will be very important before the international break,” he said.

Asked about his return to the club in the summer, the shot stopper added: “Coming back to Madrid has been a dream come true. I never lost hope of returning home. The welcome from teammates and coaches was fantastic. Everyone has been great. This dressing room is magnificent and perhaps there are some people that get the wrong idea because the teammates here are brilliant and humble people.”

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Wales manager Chris Coleman says Gareth Bale should be fit to take his place in the starting line up for Real Madrid’s match against Barcelona in two weeks time.

The forward hasn’t featured for his club after picking up a calf injury on the last international break and has been left out of Coleman’s squad for the upcoming friendly against the Netherlands.

Bale played a key role in helping Wales qualify for the European Championships next summer – the first appearance at a major international tournament since 1958.

Los Blancos take on Sevilla this weekend before La Liga takes a break for two weeks while international friendlies and play-offs for the tournament in France take place. They then face Barcelona in the first Clasico of the season when La Liga action resumes.

Speaking to reporters, Coleman said he expects Bale to be fit, but urged the club to ensure they use the next couple of weeks wisely to guarantee he is up to speed.

“I think, having the correspondence with Madrid, he’ll probably figure in the next game for them [after the international break] I would imagine. But they want to use this time wisely and carefully and get him up to speed. We respect that. Gareth also wants to do what’s right. It’s not in our nature to take risks with players,” he commented.

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Real Madrid midfielder Isco hailed his side’s commitment in their win over PSG on Tuesday night.

Los Blancos won 1-0 thanks to a Nacho Fernandez goal. The win ensured Real qualify for the next stage of the competition with two games to spare.

The 10-time Champions League winners were not at their best on the night though and created few chances.

Reflecting on the game, Isco told journalists the players are aware they will need to improve but added they were happy with the win.

“The team did not put in a good performance but we were committed. It is important that on days when things have not gone well, we have still ended up with a good result. It was one of those tough days, also, we faced a good side that made things really difficult for us,” he commented.

He added the players are aware the fans should be entertained and have every right to express their opinion when Real don’t reach their usual dizzy heights.

“The fans are the people that pay to come and it is their right to do that. We try to do as well as possible and sometimes things do not go as well as we want.”

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Real Madrid have offered 40 million euros to sign Lazio midfielder Lucas Biglia, according to the player’s agent, Daniel Piconcelli.

Biglia has been a Los Blancos target since he was playing at Anderlecht. The Argentinian spent some successful years in Belgium and became one of the most sought-after defensive midfielders in Europe.

Lazio signed him in 2013 and he has been constantly linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu ever since.

Piconcelli has claimed his player has been contacted by Inter Milan but Lazio have received a higher bid from Real Madrid.

“Lotito, president of Lazio, will never sell Biglia to Inter Milan because Real Madrid have already offered 40 million euros for him. Inter Milan would do well in signing a player for their midfield, an organizer with good passing skills, but Mancini doesn’t appreciate good midfielders,” Biglia’s agent has stated.

The 29-year-old could have been a good add for Los Merengues in previous seasons, but at the moment that position is perfectly covered, with Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Casemiro and Mateo Kovacic performing at a great level.

Plus, Lucas Silva and Alvaro Medran, who are on loan now, could be called upon to return to Madrid at any moment, so there seems to be little truth in Piconcelli’s words. It could all be a strategy to try to increase the player’s market value.

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Nacho Fernandez says he is happier that Real Madrid beat PSG than the fact he netted the winner.

The defender scored his first goal in European football for the club in the win that ensured Los Blancos qualify for the next stage of this season’s competition. The left-footed finish came just three minutes after Nacho had replaced the injured Marcelo in the 32nd minute.

The game between the two European powerhouses was a tense affair with few chances – making the win all the more important for the 10-time Champions League winners.

Speaking to the media afterwards, Nacho said picking up the three points was key, although he admitted he was proud to net the winner.

“It was a very important goal, the only one of the game. I saw that the goalkeeper was coming out and I shot. I am very happy with the goal but not so much with our overall game,” he said.

And he added: “We have qualified and the aim was to beat a good opponent such as PSG. Anything that means qualifying sooner is good. We wanted to have a good game, as we usually do here at home. In Paris we performed at a very high level and today we all know that we did not have a good match, but even so, we won, we have qualified, and attentions now turn to Sevilla”.

 

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas has praised his team mates for the work they do in helping keep such a superb defensive record this season.

The Costa Rican has conceded three goals in 13 matches to date, and had another shut out in the Champions League last night as Los Blancos saw off Laurent Blanc’s PSG 1-0.

The win, thanks to Nacho’s 35th minute goal, saw Real qualify for the last-16 of this year’s competition with two games to spare. It was a tense affair at the Santiago Bernabeu though and a night of few chances for either side.

Speaking to journalists afterwards, Navas stated: “Thanks to God we were able to pick up three very valuable points. The team are doing a great job and we kept a cleansheet. I always try to do well and help my team-mates. They do a fantastic job at helping to ensure everything goes to plan. As a team we went out there convinced we could win. It was a tough match because we were up against a very difficult opponent, but we came away with three points. It was a massively important win.”

He continued: “There are times in games when things don’t go exactly to plan. We’d all like to win by big margins and play every match. When there is a game that’s not to everyone’s liking, the important thing is pointing out that the team still won. They are an opposition side that weren’t going to make it easy for us and we still managed to win, but we’re aware that there need to be improvements.”

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Sergio Ramos

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos says the players were pleased to come through a tricky test against PSG and qualify for the next stage of the Champions League.

The 10-time winners of the competition saw off the French champions at the Santiago Bernabeu 1-0 thanks to a Nacho goal. The three points ensured a passage to the next round, while Real kept their fourth clean sheet in the competition in four games.

Speaking after the match, Ramos said the players were happy with the night’s work considering the opposition they faced.

The defender told reporters after the game: “These types of games against top level opponents are always tricky. They had a lot of possession and caused us problems through their very dangerous players on the counter. If a win was offered to you beforehand you’d always take it, but that’s not how things work. We have to be happy because we came away with all three points against a very tough side.”

He added: “It wasn’t a comfortable match. There were positives but also a lot of things we’ll need to reflect on. Perhaps we played better there than we did today, but that’s football for you. You play well and only earn a point and then with a worse performance and you end up winning the match”.

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Rafa Benitez has hailed his side’s performance after Real Madrid beat PSG 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu to ensure qualification for the last-16 of the Champions League with two groups games to spare.

The narrow win came courtesy of a Nacho goal in the 35th minute – the defender’s first goal in European competition coming just three minutes after he replaced the injured Marcelo.

Los Blancos have won three of their four games in their group with the other being a goal less draw in Paris two weeks ago. The La Liga leaders are yet to concede in European competition this season.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Benitez said he was delighted with his team’s progress, adding any manager would have signed the dotted line to be in three competitions.

“This game makes the first leg much more important. Getting a result as we did and winning here against a great side shows that we are getting there, we have qualified. We were able to stick in there and in the second half we had various counterattacks to try and get another goal. The value of this win is increased by the quality of the opponents we faced,” he told reporters.

And he added: “If we keep the team solid it will be easier to win more games. Any manager would sign on the dotted line to qualify, not concede goals and be in the three competitions.”

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