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Marco Reus

Real Madrid and Barcelona are among the clubs who are fighting to sign Borussia Dortmund winger Marco Reus, Spanish sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo has revealed.

The Azulgranas will be free to make new signings next January, when their one-year ban will be over -they brought Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan in the summer, but they won’t be able to play until the ban ends.

Given the difficulties they are going through in this start of the season, the Catalans are planning a bid for Marco Reus to reinforce their attack.

However, Los Blancos have been pursuing Reus signing for a couple of years now, and although signing a winger is not a priority at the moment, they could resume negotiations with Dortmund in order to strengthen the team and to prevent Barça from reinforcing theirs.

Florentino Perez obtained a preferential buy option to bring Reus two years ago, but he finally decided not to execute it, as Gareth Bale arrived to cover that position. Now things could be different, as Los Merengues president will surely not be pleased by seeing Reus sign for his arch-rival.

The Germany international recently renewed his contract with Borussia Dortmund, but it seems clear he will leave sooner or later, as many European giants are eager to sign him. Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid are also interested.

However, Borussia will not be easy to convince. The bid is expected to start at 30 million euros, but it could go considerably higher.

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France boss Didier Deschamps has confirmed Karim Benzema picked up a hamstring injury in the friendly win over Armenia on Thursday evening.

Les Bleus continued their preparations for the European Championships next summer in France with a convincing 4-0 win. The Real Madrid striker netted twice for his country, having previously been on a run of just one goal in his last 12 matches for the 1998 World Cup winners.

Ahead of the game, Deschamps has said he had no intention of removing the striker after reports he was unhappy at being substituted in six of his last eight matches for Real. But his hand was forced in the 80th minute when Benzema hobbled off having picked up a knock.

Speaking to journalists after the match, Deschamps said it was a hamstring problem but wouldn’t reveal how serious it is.

“Benzema has felt some great discomfort behind the thigh, [that’s why] we take him off straight away. I hope that it is nothing serious but we don’t know yet,” he said.
Benzema is the leading scorer in La Liga this season with five goals, and netted in last weekend’s derby against Atletico de Madrid. Manager Rafa Benitez took him off in the second half as he looked to hold onto the slender 1-0 lead but the move backfired when Atletico equalised with just seven minutes left.

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Luka Modric

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric says there is no reason why the club can’t go out and win the league and Champions League this season.

Los Blancos are second in the table and unbeaten so far this season while in the Champions League they have won two out of two and already look to be in a strong position to qualify for the next stage.

While on international duty with Croatia, Modric was asked about his side’s prospects for the campaign, to which he said Los Blancos should aim for both major trophies.

“La Liga or the Champions League? No, no, both trophies. Why can’t we win both?” he commented.

Meanwhile, at the same press conference, team mate Mateo Kovacic was asked about he he’s settling in the Spanish capital.

He said: “There is the team and the players to do so. We have to be optimistic. I’ve realised what it means to be at Real Madrid. Everything that’s said is true. When you’re outside the club it can seem exaggerated, but it’s not.

“It’s the biggest thing as a club and as a team. By your side there are the best players and it’s great for me to play with them, to learn from them and contribute to the team.”

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David Beckham has revealed he wanted to stay at Real Madrid longer than he did and had agreed a four-year extension with the club before it was scuppered.

The ex-England captain played for Los Blancos from 2003 to 2007 winning the Spanish Supercopa and La Liga titles in his time with the club.

His move to the MLS with LA Galaxy was widely seen as an attempt to earn a final big payday before retiring – he earned close to 150 million euros in his five years in the US.

But in quotes published by Marca, the 40-year-old said he wanted to remain in Spain and only left because Florentino Perez left the club and the deal was pulled.

“My heart will always be Madrid. I had four wonderful years. There’s a lot I enjoyed in my career and it’s very difficult to choose one moment, but when I walked into the locker room and saw Raul, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos, it was a special moment,” he commented.

And he stated: “And then, when we won the league, of course, that was a special moment. I had a contract for four years and had talks with Florentino Perez to renew for another four, but Florentino left and there was no agreement with the new president. I wanted to stay but when Florentino left, everything went wrong.”

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Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo says former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was his ;football father’ during his time in the Premier League.

Ferguson, who spent 25 years as manager of the Red Devils, had a fearsome reputation and there are few secrets about the famous hairdryer treatment he dished out to his players on a regular basis.

But in a BBC documentary about the ex-manager, Ronaldo shed some new light on Ferguson, revealing the Scot has a warm side to him and looks after his players well away from the pitch.

“He invites everyone to come for lunch, come for tea… an English cup of tea! It was a family with him,” Ronaldo stated.
And he continued: “When my dad was sick in London and was in hospital – very bad, in a coma – I had a conversation with him. I said, ‘Boss, I don’t feel good.’ We are in a key moment in the league and the Champions League , but I say, ‘Boss, I don’t feel good. I want to see my dad.’
“[He said] ‘Cristiano, you want to go one day, two days, one week, you can go. I’m going to miss you here because you know you are important. But your dad [comes] first. When he told me that, I thought, ‘This guy’s unbelievable’. He was a football father for me.”

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Philippe Coutinho is very happy at Liverpool and reports of him potentially moving to Real Madrid are untrue says his agent.

The Brazilian joined Liverpool from Inter Milan and has established himself in recent seasons as a key member in the side at Anfield. While his club has struggled to establish itself as a title contender or compete for major honours in recent years, Countinho’s performances have reportedly caught the eye of Barcelona, Manchester City and Real Madrid among others.

But speaking to reporters, Joorabchian dismissed reports he had opened talks with the 10-time Champions League winners about a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, insisting the midfielder is settled on Merseyside and is only aiming to win trophies with the Reds.

“Philippe is extremely happy at Liverpool. He signed a new long term contract towards the end of last season that represents his ambition and his feeling for Liverpool,” said Joorabchian.

The agent went on to add: “Reports that I have been talking to Real Madrid about Philippe are not true. His aspirations are to qualify for the Champions League with Liverpool this season and to win a trophy. That is all that he is focussed on – and nothing else.”

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France and Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris says Karim Benzema is a key member of the Les Bleus side despite his goalscoring troubles an international level.

While Benzema leads the way in La Liga this season with five goals, the 27-year-old striker only has one goal in his last 12 appearances for Didier Deschamps’ side, prompting criticism of him from some quarters.

But ahead of this weekend’s round of international games, Lloris told journalists Benzema is an influential member of the France team and will play a key role at next summer’s European Champions, held in their country.

“He helps the team a lot. He would like to score a little more, obviously, but we are a team so we wish that the French national team scores much more. He’s got a status here. He’s really concerned about the collective. He’s here to be the leader,” he stated.

And he continued: “Like in the past, a great French national team essentially needs a great collective. That’s how the greatest individual skills of some players can be expressed. He’s one of them. He’ll lead the French national team where we want to be.”

Benzema netted Real’s goal in their 1-1 draw with Atletico de Madrid at the weekend but then expressed his disappointment at being substituted late on – the six time he has been removed in his last eight games.

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Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea says he has moved on from the disappointment of his collapsed move to Real Madrid.

The 24-year-old was linked with a return to the Spanish capital all summer long as the two clubs entered a stand-off. The impasse looked to be over when they agreed a fee on the final day of the transfer window with the deal involved Keylor Navas moving to Old Trafford.

But the transfer collapsed after the late arrival of paperwork with the football authorities, prompting an angry war of words as to who was responsible.

De Gea has gone on to star for United once again this season and has signed a new four-year deal, meaning Real’s chances of getting their man look remote for now.

Speaking to Canal Plus, the goalkeeper said it was a disappointment not to move but added he likes to put bad things behind him and focus on the positives.

“I am a guy who likes to let the bad things and difficult times behind. I spent a lot of tough times and I know what it is. We must move forward, working equally and always strong,” he commented.

And he added: “It’s a learning process that gives football hard moments but that make you mature and grow. These are things that you learn in the world of football. You have to keep working and try to improve in every training session.”

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Former Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says managing the club is a draining experience and he needs time to recover before making a return.

The Italian spent two years in the dugout at the Santiago Bernabeu and he won four trophies in his time there. In his first season in charge, Ancelotti guided Madrid to the Champions League title – the much coveted Decima. He also lifted the Copa del Rey after a brilliant win over Barcelona in the final.

In his second year, Los Blancos won the European Club Cup and the World Club Cup, but the lack of major trophies at the end of the campaign saw him leave his post.

Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Ancelotti revealed he had been approached by AC Milan about a return to his former club in the summer, but talks didn’t progress far because he felt he needed time away from the game.

“When he learned I wouldn’t be staying in Madrid, Galliani came to test the waters. He showed me all his affection, but I told him right away: ‘no thanks’. We spent some nice days together, Galliani is nice, and he’s intelligent but after two years at Real I had no energy. Real is very draining. We didn’t even talk about money. That said, if it had been another time I would have come back,” he commented.

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Alvaro Morata

Juventus director Pavel Nedved says striker Alvaro Morata has a long and successful future with the Italian club and they do not envisage selling him back to Real Madrid.

Morata grew up in the youth team at Los Blancos but moved away from the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2014 after growing frustrated at the lack of first team opportunities.

Initially he was ahead of Jese Rodriguez as the back up to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema but eventually slipped behind him following Rodriguez’ fine run of form in the 2013-14 season.

As with most young players who leave the 10-time Champions League winners, as part of the deal, Real have a buy-back clause allowing them to bring the 22-year-old back to the club within a certain time period – and there was talk they would look to activate that after Morata impressed in his first season in Italy.

But Nedved told Tuttosport last season’s Champions League finalists have no intention of selling their prized asset.

“Morata is our player. I can only see his future at Juventus. He is a great player and I believe that he is still only at 60 per cent of his full potential. Morata represents the future of Juventus,” the ex-midfielder stated.

 

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