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Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has said Real Madrid target David de Gea is staying at the Old Trafford side for now as the La Liga giants haven’t met the valuation for the player yet.

Los Blancos are though to be keen on signing de Gea still despite having already brought in Kiko Casilla from Espanyol.

So far this summer, United have played hardball and want around 30 million for de Gea even though he has just a year left on his deal at the Premier League side. Real are reportedly unwilling to pay more than 20 million euros for his signature to bring his back to the Spanish capital, where he previously played for Atletico de Madrid.

De Gea was ruled out of the season opener against Tottenham Hotspur by his manager because he’s not in the right frame of mind.

And van Gaal gave reporters an update on the situation. He stated: “We are asking money and they have to pay money. In recent years Manchester United have paid a lot of money on players and not received a lot for our players. He’s the best goalkeeper we’ve had for the last three years, I believe.

“The last two years he was nominated by the fans as the best player at the club. Do you think the coach wants him to leave? I don’t think so. The player still has to manage this situation.”

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco has completed a move to Spanish second division side Alaves, both clubs have announced.

Pacheco has signed a three-year contract with the Basques, although Los Blancos have revealed they have retained a buy-back option, although the duration of the clause is not known.

Los Merengues have published the following statement in their website: “Real Madrid and Deportivo Alaves have reached an agreement on the transfer of Fernando Pacheco. Real Madrid reserves the right to bring the player back to the club in a buy-back clause.”

The 23-year-old was Los Blancos third goalkeeper during last season, but he didn’t have any chances of playing. Pacheco could have chosen to stay one more season as the third option for Rafa Benitez, but he has decided to leave to a team where he can be the starting keeper.

Los Merengues have signed goalkeeper Kiko Casilla and are determined to bring David de Gea. That would probably cause Keylor Navas exit, meaning that Rafa Benitez would need another third goalie.

Real Madrid Castilla’s number 1 Ruben Yañez is the main candidate to replace Pacheco, as he is completing the pre-season with the first team. A few days ago Benitez confirmed he counted on the 21-year-old to be a member of his squad.

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Real Madrid have announced that Portuguese defender Pepe has suffered a thigh injury that will keep him sidelined at least until the first week of official competition in La Liga.

The 32-year-old had to be replaced by Nacho Fernandez in the first minutes of the Audi Cup final against Bayern Munich after suffering muscle pain in his right leg.

Los Blancos manager Rafa Benitez had played down the seriousness of the issue after that game, but it now looks very unlikely that the Portugal international will be available for the start of Madrid’s La Liga campaign at Sporting Gijon on August 23.

Real Madrid published the following official statement in their website: “A medical examination on the player in the Universitario Sanitas La Moraleja hospital has shown that he has a muscle injury in his right leg. His progress will be closely monitored.”

With Pepe sidelined, Raphael Varane will most likely replace the Portuguese at centre-back, pairing with Sergio Ramos against Sporting.

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Real Madrid have decided to send Lucas Silva on loan so he can keep growing at a team where he has plenty of minutes of play.

Many La Liga sides had asked for a loan, but it seems like the most probable destination for the Brazilian is the Premier League, as three British clubs are reportedly willing to bid high for signing him.

Website Caughtoffside.com has claimed Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are interested in signing the 22-year-old, who arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu back in January.

However, these clubs seem to seek a permanent transfer, and Madrid are only considering a loan move for now.

The fact that Silva has a non-EU passport is an obstacle for his stay at Real Madrid, as Los Blancos already have reached the limit of three foreign players: Danilo, James Rodriguez and Casemiro.

Plus, there are four players ahead of him in the fight for a spot in the starting eleven: Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Casemiro and Asier Illarramendi.

Should Illarramendi leave, Silva could have options of staying at Madrid if any of the foreigners or himself gets an EU passport. However, that seems highly unlikely to happen.

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Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has said the Guners could win the Premier League if they sign Karim Benzema from Real Madrid.

Despite Arsene Wenger denying he was interested in the 27-year-old, rumours still abound that the FA Cup and Community Shield winner are ready to pay 50 million euros for the Frenchman.

Many pundits in the UK think Arsenal are best equipped to push Chelsea for the league this season but lack a top class centre foward still to get them over the line.

Speaking to talkSport radio, Henry praised current frontman Olivier Giroud before adding the addition of Benzema would be superb.

“I always say it’s their year but there is a genuine buzz around the place right now. I think they can challenge this year for real if they stay injury-free,” he stated.

He added: “Giroud alone as a striker there – you can’t win the league, you need another type of striker. I think Giroud is doing really well – he went on to score 14 goals in 18 games, that’s amazing.

“But sometimes you need a different type of striker and I think that if they can get Benzema, suddenly they are a real title contender and also in the Champions League.”

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Former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso had praised his old team and said they will be in the hunt for major honours at the end of the season.

The 33-year-old played for Bayern Munich on Wednesday as the Bavarian side beat Los Blancos 1-0 to lift the Audi Cup at the Allianz Arena and afterwards took time out to speak to reporters about his ex-team.

The defensive midfielder said Madrid are in safe hands under new boss Rafa Benitez, who Alonso played for at Liverpool, and will be in the mix for La Liga and the Champions League.

“Madrid are going to keep fighting for trophies because they have a great team and a great coach,” he commented.

Having played for both Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, Alonso is in the best position to comment on who is the best coach between the two of them. But he refused to be drawn on the subject.

“I’m proud of the coaches I’ve had, but I won’t say if Pep Guardiola is better than Jose Mourinho. Every great club is criticised when they win. We have a great coaching staff. This is a great club with a great demand,” he said.

Finally, he spoke about the departure of Iker Casillas to Porto, saying: “He’s a legend at Madrid and as the years pass he’ll be more appreciated. I wish him well.”

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Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez said he was not happy about the result against Bayern Munich on Wednesday evening but glad to see the young players in the team equipped themselves well.

Some of the fringe players got a run out at the Allianz Arena in the absence of more established stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema and it allowed the new boss to get a good look at the options he has for the season ahead.

Speaking to reporters after the match, which Real lost 1-0, Benitez said: “I feel good about the experience for the young players and the work they put in, but sad about the defeat. They are a great team, they have that extra gear and you could see it. We needed more possession to create more danger. We had the odd counter but it wasn’t enough.

“I always say that we have to get better but have a good team. Today we had a few missing and that hurt us with two games in a row. We are going to try and do what we’ve done and use the players we have, there’s a lot of quality available.”

Asked for more detail about his plans for the youth and reserve players, Benitez added: “Lucas Silva will be going out as he is not an EU citizen. Marcos Llorente and Borja Mayoral will work with us in the reserve side. Ruben will be with the goalkeepers.”

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Youngster Borja Mayoral made his debut with Real Madrid’s first team in the final of the Audi Cup against Bayern Munich.

The 18-year-old confessed he was “very happy” with this experience, although he admitted he will remain a Real Madrid Castilla player for this season.

“It’s an unforgettable experience. It’s what you dream about from an early age. I’m very happy at having been able to play some minutes and I’m going to help the team in whatever way it needs. I’ve had the opportunity to travel with the team and I’ll do whatever the coach tells me to.”

The young striker has been one of the names of the season, guiding the Spanish national team to win the European Under-19 Championship and becoming the top scorer of the tournament.

Many clubs had requested a loan for next season, but Los Blancos have decided to keep him in the reserves team, so Rafa Benitez can call him whenever any of the first-team strikers are unavailable.

“My team is Castilla and I’m going to play for them, but if the first team calls on me I’m here to help. Making my debut at a stadium like this one has made me very happy and I’m going to keep on working hard so as to improve. It has been a really great month. It doesn’t get any better than winning the European Championship and then playing alongside the best. I only have words of gratitude.”

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Spanish winger Lucas Vazquez has confessed that receiving the call from Real Madrid to return at the Santiago Bernabeu was a surprise for him.

“A call from Real Madrid is always a surprise. I’m very happy to be here. Real Madrid is the best team in the world and it’s an honour to be here. Being able to play alongside the best players in the world helps you become a better player. Training with them is like doing a PhD in football.”

Vazquez is completing a brilliant pre-season with Los Blancos. The 24-year-old had a great performance in Real’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Audi Cup.

“We have to continue like this until the start of La Liga. We are growing in confidence. We want to take it one step at a time in order to lift as many titles as possible and we working towards doing that. The final is tomorrow and we are very eager to win it.”

The 24-year-old admitted he’s adapting well to Rafa Benitez’s training methods: “What matters most at the moment is getting in shape and making the most of the minutes you’re given to give it your all and help the team out however you can. Benitez’s training sessions are high in intensity and he knows what he wants from us. We need to do what he asks of us in order to do as well as we can.”

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has said he would love to manage Real Madrid one day.

The Argentinean came up against the 10-time Champions League winners at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night when Spurs were defeated by Real 2-0 in the Audi Cup.

Pochettino had a successful spell in charge of Espanyol before leaving La Liga for the Premier League, where he spent time at Southampton before taking over at White Hart Lane.

Asked by reporters at his press conference after the game if he could envisage himself at the Santiago Bernabeu, he stated: “Real Madrid? Of course, one day, I’d like to manage Real Madrid, but I still have a lot of work ahead of me.  They are the best team in the world.”

He went on to add: “I’m a big fan of Madrid, after Espanyol, they are one of the teams I like the most in Spain.”

The Spurs boss was then asked which Real player he would sign if he had an unlimited budget.

“I’d sign Sergio Ramos with my eyes closed.  I have a soft spot for him because I was also a centre-back,” he commented.

Should Pochettino take over at Real in the future, he could link up with former Tottenham players Gareth Bale and Luka Modric. Time will tell.

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