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Fabio Coentrao

Real Madrid left back Fabio Coentrao has rejected rumours he is set to sign for Portuguse outfit Sporting Lisbon.

Stories in Portugal have suggested the defender will end his four year stay at the Santiago Bernabeu to return to his homeland. But the former Benfica man took to his Facebook page to deny any imminent transfer.

He added that if he ever were to go back to play in Portugal, it would be for Benfica and not one of their main rivals.

Coentrao wrote: “I wish to deny the rumours that I’m joining Sporting. Despite the respect I have for all Portuguese clubs, the only Portuguese club I’d play for are Benfica.”

The Portugal international was signed in 2011 for 30 million euros by then manager Jose Mourinho. He has struggled for first team football in recent seasons however and finds himself behind Marcelo in the pecking order at the 10-time Champions League winners.

While a move to Sporting may be off, it is likely Coentrao will leave Los Blancos this summer in search of regular football. He came close to leaving the club two summers ago on loan to Manchester United. The transfer fell through at the eleventh hour, leaving Coentrao reportedly in tears.

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Luka Modric

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has said he hated the last few weeks of the season being unable to help his team mates on the field.

The Croatian playmaker missed 4 months of the campaign before making a comeback in March but was then quickly ruled out again for the rest of the campaign due to a knee injury.

As he sat on the sidelines he had to watch as Real let go of their lead at the top of La Liga and crash out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage against Juventus.

Speaking to Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti, the former Tottenham Hotspur star said.

“It was terribly difficult not being able to help Real Madrid in the Champions League. Last season was really difficult for me. I had some great spells with Madrid and with the Croatia national team but also a lot of bad luck with injuries.”

He went on to say that he has recovered from his injury woes and is looking back to getting on the field again.

“I am better now, but have not played much yet. I’ll be there with Croatia, encouraging the team [against Italy in their Euro 2016 qualifier on June 12] and I think my team-mates will get a good result.”

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Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has said former Los Blacnos boss Carlo Ancelotti would make a good manager for Bayern Munich.

The Italian was sacked at the end of the season for failing to win La Liga or the Champions League and has said he will be taking time out from the game to undergo surgery in Canada and recharge his batteries ahead of looking for a new challenge.

Ancelotti has been successful in Italy, England, France and Spain in his managerial career with Germany perhaps the most obvious choice as his next destination should he wish to manage in a new country.

Current boss Pep Guardiola has a deal until 2016 and there is no suggestion Ancelotti will replace him before that.

But speaking to Sport Bild, Kroos – a key member of Germany’s World Cup winning squad last summer – said Ancelotti would be an ideal fit at the Bavarian giants.

“Ancelotti would be an interesting option for Bundesliga clubs,” Kroos said.

He added: “Of course, there would only be one or two clubs in Germany that would be an option for a world-class coach like him. Ancelotti is internationally oriented and speaks English. Why would he not be successful with a club like Bayern? He would be a good fit for a Bundesliga side.”

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Chelsea duo Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are wanted by Real Madrid, according to reports in the UK press.

The Sunday Telegraph claims Rafa Benitez has identified the pair to liven up Madrid’s attacking options as Los Blancos look to usurp Barcelona in La Liga next season.

Hazard has been linked with the 10-time Champions League winners for a while even though he has a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge. His current boss Jose Mourinho insists the Belgium international is happy at the club.

The 22-year-old was a key member of the side that won the Premier League this season and is often among the first names on Madrid fans’ lips when asked who they’d most like to see play at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Costa, meanwhile, is reportedly looking to move back to Spain after just one season in England. The Spain forward, formerly an Atletico de Madrid player, has failed to settle in London and wants his family back in the Spanish capital.

Mourinho has denied those stories, saying: “I don’t see our team losing players. I don’t see our team losing our qualities, especially our mental, emotional approach to matches, to the season, to the competition.”

It could be an interesting development this summer if Costa forces Chelsea’s hand and pushes for a move back to La Liga though.

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Former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has reiterated his belief that the FIFA World Coach of the Year 2012 award was corrupt.

The Portuguese guided Los Blancos to the La Liga title that year – his only league title success in Spain despite being the self-styled ‘special one’. But his missed out on the coach of the year award to Spain boss Vicente del Bosque, who guided La Roja to their second successive European Championship that summer.

Mourinho has made comments in the past that he believes the vote was rigged by FIFA and speaking to the Sunday Times, once again said he holds firm in that opinion.

FIFA has been rocked in the past couple of weeks after high profile arrests of senior member in the organisation on corruption and money laundering charges. Since the arrests many stories have emerged that have painted a picture of a deeply corrupt organisation.

Mourinho said: “In 2012, I was one of the three finalists and when I was told I was finishing second with a few votes behind the first, it looked normal to me.

“But then the votes were made public. And my former player, a national team captain, called me, ‘Mister, there is something wrong. Because obviously, obviously, I gave you the vote, then in the list they put another coach’s name and that was not me.’

“A few minutes later my Portuguese friend, a national team coach, called me, ‘Mister, don’t believe what you see in the list because obviously I vote for you.’ And a few minutes later I got a message from another national coach, ‘they changed my vote.’ Who changed the vote? His federation? FIFA? Who?”

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Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema’s agent has said the France and Real Madrid striker is happy at his club and has no intention of leaving for Manchester United.

Reports have circulated in recent days that Karim Djaziri met with United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward in a London hotel to discuss a possible transfer.

But speaking to Marca, Djaziri claimed the stories couldn’t be further from the truth and Benzema wants to stay at Real Madrid for the rest of his career.

He stated: “I haven’t met with any club in London. Not with United and not with anyone else. We haven’t held talks with anyone other than Real Madrid.

“What is Karim going to do in Manchester? He’s happy in Madrid. He doesn’t want to leave. Benzema would only leave if Real Madrid told him he was surplus to requirements, because he isn’t going to leave of his own accord. Karim wants to see out his contract. He wants to retire at Real Madrid.”

Benzema joined Madrid in 2009 and has netted 133 times for Los Blancos in six seasons. He has been linked with Arsenal in the past, and the Gunners are said to be interested this summer too. United are though to be keen to add him into any deal involving David de Gea moving to Real.

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Gareth Bale has dismissed rumours of a Real Madrid exit in the summer transfer market. In an interview with The Sun, the Welshman explained he will be a Los Blancos player next season.

“Of course, yes [I will be a Real Madrid player next season]. I’m a Real Madrid player and I’ll carry on as normal. I am enjoying it and hopefully I can continue to,” Bale told The Sun.

The 25-year-old analysed his current situation at the club: “I feel settled. I’m looking forward now to playing and winning more trophies. My goal is to keep improving, performing and to win as many titles as I can,” he confessed.

Asked about the rumours of a bad relationship between him and Cristiano Ronaldo, Bale said “it’s rubbish.” “When you are on the pitch you try to help your teammates as much as you can. People are trying to create problems which aren’t there,” he added.

Bale also took the chance to praise the Ballon d’Or winner: “It’s good and normal training and playing with Cristiano. You train with the best players and you try to improve as much as they do.”

Bale has been linked with a move back to the Premier League this summer having been heavily criticised in the Spanish media for some below-par performances this season.

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Angel di Maria has asked his agent to discuss with Real Madrid the possibility of returning to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, Spanish television station La Sexta has revealed.

The Argentina international moved to Manchester United last summer in a 75-million-euro deal, but he hasn’t addapted to life in England.

The 26-year-old has made 32 appearances this season, scoring four goals and providing ten assists. However, he hasn’t had a good relationship with manager Louis Van Gaal and has spent the last third of the season seating on the bench.

Thus, Di Maria could be seeking to leave Manchester and, if possible, return to Madrid. His agent Jorge Mendes has a very good relationship with Florentino Perez and the player has reportedly ask him to talk to Real Madrid president about transfer move back to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Yet, it is highly unlikely that this transfer will finally happen. Manchester United are not willing to sell the Argentinian cheap, and Perez won’t spend a big ammount of money in a player that is not a priority for the club.

Di Maria recently confessed in an interview with Sky Sports that he’s had a tough time at Manchester: “It was a hard season for me. I think it was hard because it was another country and another league, and this league is harder than the Spanish one. So I couldn’t adapt myself as I wanted to.”

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Real Madrid are looking to loan Lucas Silva next season in order for him to get more first team experience in European football.

The Brazilian joined Los Blancos in January in a 14 million euro move from his native Brazil and found chances hard to come by at the Santiago Bernabeu. He started just three games and did not feature for the side at all after April 29.

According to AS, one of Rafa Benitez’ first tasks will be to work out which of the non-EU players will depart the club on a temporary basis. Spanish clubs are not allowed to have more than three non-EU players registered in their squad. James Rodriguez, Danilo and Casemiro are the others along with Silva.

AS says Benitez wants to take a look at Silva at close quarters in pre-season training, and with the player taking part in the Copa America this summer, he won’t leave the club until late on in the transfer window.

There is no talk the 22-year-old will be allowed to leave on a permanent deal. His countryman Casemiro has been an example of the success of going on loan. The midfielder spent this season at Porto but will be back with Los Blancos for the coming campaign.

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Real Madrid reserves team manager Zinedine Zidane has confessed he feels he’s ready to coach Los Blancos first squad. In a press conference at Berlin the Frenchman analysed the recent news in world football.

When asked about the possibility of managing the first team in the future, Zidane laughed and replied: “I see myself ready.”

The Los Merengues legend is expected to take on the first team job in a few years, possibly when the Rafa Benitez era finishes, as Florentino Perez has admitted in various occasions.

The journalists asked him about Real Madrid reserves player Cristian Benavente not being picked for Peru national team despite his great season: “The coach makes his choices and you have to respect them. He’s got enough talent to play in any first division team. At the beginning of the season, I convinced him to stay with us and he’s had an amazing year. The only problem was we didn’t manage to get promoted.”

Asked about the possibility of his country man Michel Platini being picked as the new FIFA president, Zidane said “it is fine, whatever is new is good.”

Zidane also praised Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo: “I like him, although at his age he’s got some physical difficulties. But with the ball he’s still precise and very valuable for his team.”

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