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Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas has confirmed he does not need surgery on his Achilles tendon injury.

The Costa Rican goalkeeper has been carrying the knock since picking up the problem in the friendly against Spain recently, and there has been fears he would be out for a few months if he needed surgery.

But taking to social media, the goalkeeper, who got married back home at the weekend and immediately returned to Madrid, said he did need to go under the knife. His participation in this summer’s Gold Cup is still unlikely though.

“I’m happy and thank God that the club doctors examined me in Madrid and ruled out surgery on my heel injury. I received platelet rich plasma treatment on my left heel today at Sanitas La Moraleja. Time to rest now,” he wrote.

Any surgery for Navas could have complicated the Real Madrid goalkeeper situation further this summer, with the future of Iker Casillas unclear. The 10-time Champions League winners are confident of signing David de Gea from Manchester United, with Casillas believed to be keen on a move away should that deal go through. An long-term injury for Navas would have seen Casillas more likely to stay at the club, something that could result in an awkward relationship between the long-serving keeper and his rival at international level.

 

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Betis and Sporting Gijon are fighting to sign Real Madrid wonderkid Diego Llorente on loan this summer. The Los Blancos homegrown defender is one of the biggest talents in the youth teams and Florentino Perez wants him to leave on loan to a La Liga side in order to get minutes of play and gain experience.

The two recently promoted clubs have already contacted Real to request the 21-year-old loan. Both Betis and Sporting are trying to build a strong side in order to avoid relegation next season and Llorente would be a perfect fit for them.

The Andalusians are Florentino Perez’s favourites, as their manager Pepe Mel is a former Real Madrid player. However, Real want Llorente to be a guaranteed starter wherever he goes, and he’s less likely to earn a spot in the starting eleven at Betis.

Sporting, on the other hand, will possibly be La Liga’s club with the lowest average salary, and that will mean Llorente would have few competitors for a starting role. The Gijon’s side wage limit per player is the minimum requested by La Liga: 129.000 euros. With that money, they will hardly attract quality players and they will strongly depend on loans to build a decent squad.

The young center-back is eager to play regularly for a La Liga side, so both options would please him. Llorente made his debut with Real Madrid’s first squad in June 2013. Since then, he has only played three official games for Los Blancos.

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Former Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain has said centre back Sergio Ramos is the best non-Argentinian football he’s played with.

The pair played together at the Santiago Bernabeu for seven years, and won a number of trophies including La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercopa. Higuain, who scored 122 goals in his time as a Los Blancos player, made a switch to Napoli in the summer of 2013 and has gone on to become a key player for the Seria A side.

But he and Ramos remain good friends off the field, and that showed when he was interviewed by the Asociación de Fútbol Argentino (AFA).

Asked who he thinks is the best non-Argentinian player now, Higuain said: “That’s difficult.  I have a lot.  If I have to chose one with whom I had a great relationship: Sergio Ramos.”

Higuain is on international duty with his country in the Copa America at the moment, and netted the only goal in the win over Jamaica at the weekend to send last year’s World Cup finalists into the quarter-final of the tournament, which is being played in Chile. The 28-year-old has played 51 times for his country and netted 25 goals in that time.

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Manchesters United are planning a sensational bid to include Sergio Ramos in any deal that takes goalkeeper David de Gea to Real Madrid, it has been reported.

The Daily Telegraph claims both United and Real believe the deal for de Gea will go through this summer – he could leave on a free transfer next year. And United are looking to take advantage of Ramos’ contract stalemate to take him to Old Trafford.

Real are though to have made an opening bid of 18 million euros for de Gea, who is seen as the long-term successor to Iker Casillas at the club. At a meeting between representatives of the two clubs, the Old Trafford side raised the idea of signing Ramos.

The 29-year-old has two years left on his deal but is seeking parity with the higher earners at the club if he is to prolong his stay. Reports in Spain have suggested he is also angry the club did not deny rumours he was offered to Barcelona presidential candidate Jordi Majo and could be sold to the Catalan club.

Ramos has been with the 10-time Champions League winners for 10 seasons now, and won a host of medals in his time at the club, including the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, World Club Cup and European Super Cup.

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New Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez has given his first interview with the club’s official website and promised fans that his team will play attacking football.

Some pundits in media had said the appointment of the former Liverpool and Napoli boss would mean Real would play a more defensive style next season – something that may not sit too well with the demanding fanbase at the Santiago Bernabeu who want to be entertained when they watch their team.

But Benitez revealed his team will play an attacking brand of football based on keeping possession of the ball and moving it quickly.

He said: “The players in the roster determine pretty much how the team will play. We have offensive players, and so our idea will be to play offensive football. It is not a matter of the system, people think the style is determined by the 4-4-2 or the 4-3-3, and it is not like that.

“We will base our football in having the ball whenever we can, moving it as fast as possible to attack, and trying not to lose the balance between offense and defence. We will try to impose our football, but we need to be able to explore other options if needed.”

He added that he was aware of the pressure of managing Madrid and what the club means to so many people around the world.

Discussing the upcoming tour to Australia and China, he commented: “We are aware of what Real Madrid means for millions of fans around the world, and so we will work hard to have a good and demanding pre-season while satisfying the universal duty the club has. It will not be easy, but we have done it in other clubs and it worked. The key is to be well organized, to prioritize sporting aspects, to reduce as much as possible the travel times and so on.”

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It appears the Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t the only man at Real Madrid able to impress the ladies with his charm.

Stories in the celebrity press in recent weeks have suggested his fellow strike partner Karim Benzema has been dating global singing sensation Rihanna – forming a new celebrity couple that will certainly keep them on the front pages.

The pair have been seen out on a number of occasions while the Frenchman in away on holiday. They we spotted at a New York Diner together recently, while this weekend Rihanna and Benzema were also seen at the same nightclub in LA – Hooray Henry’s. It could have been awkward for the fledgling romance though, with Rihanna’s ex, Chris Brown, also seen partying at the same spot.

Benzema scored 22 goal goals last season although Real missed out on the top prizes. However, if it’s confirmed he’s dating Rihanna, it would be quite the strike from the 27-year-old.

Barbabos-born Rihanna has sold more than 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the most successful artists of all time. She was won eight Grammy awards and two Brit awards for her work, and in 2012 was named by Forbes magazine as the fourth most important celebrity in the world.

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Real Madrid president doesn’t like having Argentinian players on the club’s books which is why the likes of Gonzalo Higuain were shown the exit door, according to the player’s father and agent.

Higuain left the 10-time Champions League winners for Napoli in the summer of 2013, while another Argentine, Angel di Maria, was sold to Manchester United last summer – weeks after picking up the man of the match award in the Champions League final as Real ended their 12-year wait to win La Decima.

The current squad doesn’t have any players from Argentina. South America is represented through Brazilians Marcelo, Danilo, Lucas Silva and Casemiro, while Colombia’s James Rodriguez is also a key man.

Speaking to Diario Z, Jorge Higuain, who represents his son, said: “Why did Gonzalo leave Real? Because Florentino Perez does not like Argentines. It’s the same reason that Fernando Redondo, Esteban Cambiasso, Santiago Solari, Fernando Gago and di Maria all left.”

Higuain spent seven years at the Santiago Bernabeu and made 264 appearances for Los Blancos, scoring 122 goals along the way.

He won La Liga three times, and also picked up winners’ medals in the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercopa. He’s been capped 50 times by his country.

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Former Manchester United forward Dwight Yorke believes the Red Devils need to sign Gareth Bale from Real Madrid if they are to challenge for the title.

Bale has been linked with a move to the Old Trafford side for a number of months now after receiving stinging criticism from the media and fans in Spain for some under par performances last season.

Following the Clasico defeat to Barcelona at the Nou Camp, fans waited for the team to arrive back at the Valdebebas training ground where they attacked Bale’s car as he left.

The Welshman has said he wants to stay at the club and keep winning major honours in Spain, while new boss Rafa Benitez reportedly plans to build his team around the 25-year-old.

But that hasn’t stopped talk of United preparing an 85-million-euro offer to take him back to the Premier League.

Speaking to the Sun, Yorke, a legend at United who won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League in a four-year spell, said: “I would get Bale in. That’s who United need: a player who will just take the ball and run. He’s British, he’s exciting, he’s fast. He goes past people and that will lift everyone going forward.

“When he is in full flow, he is one of the best in the world. That’s why Madrid paid the money for him. If I was signing one player for United this summer, it would be him.”

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The negotiations between Florentino Perez and Sergio Ramos to extend the contract’s extension are advancing slowly and in very tense conditions.

Real Madrid fans are urging Los Blancos president to secure the centre-back’s continuation at the club, despite Ramos high salary demands.

However, Perez remains quiet and is not going to offer Ramos a wage that he believes he doesn’t deserve.

Ramos wants to sign a new deal and remain at the Santiago Bernabeu, but he wants to earn ten million euros per season.

The player’s agent and friends have tried to exert pressure on Real Madrid, leaking he’s considering offers from Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Manchester United among others.

However, that doesn’t seem to benefit Ramos in the negotiations, as Perez is not happy with those rumours and believes they are trying to blackmail him.

The 29-year-old’s contract renewal has become a huge problem for Perez and for the club. If there is no easy solution, Perez would be open to letting Ramos go, despite it would cause many critics from the fans and the press.

The Spanish international has played for Real Madrid for the last ten seasons, making 429 appearances for Los Merengues, scoring 53 goals and providing 30 assists.

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Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata says he wants his team mate David de Gea to be happy as it looks increasingly likely the goalkeeper will leave the Red Devils for Real Madrid.

Reports in the Sunday morning papers in the UK said de Gea has told his United team mates of his desire to join the 10-time Champions League winners. Real are expected to make an opening bid of 22 million euros to get their man, who has one year left on his deal at Old Trafford.

Speaking to Marca, Mata said he selfishly wants de Gea to stay in the north west of England, but the most important thing for him is to be happy wherever it is he ends up playing his football next season.

“Lots of people ask me about De Gea. He’s a friend and I want him to be happy. He’s currently one of the best goalkeepers in the world. From a selfish point of view, I would want to have him in my team,” he stated.

Mata also had his say on new boss Rafa Benitez, claiming Real have got the right man in to lead them forward.

“I had him at Chelsea and we won the Europa League. It was a great campaign, my best in terms of statistics. Benitez knows how to get the most out of every player and get them performing to their best. Benitez was key for me.”

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