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Real Madrid are considering bringing Alvaro Negredo back to the Santiago Bernabeu, where he grew up playing for Los Blancos youth teams.

Los Merengues only have one striker in their squad -Karim Benzema- after Alvaro Morata’s exit to Juventus, and are in desperate need of a player for that role.

After having studied making a bid for Radamel Falcao and Sergio Aguero, Real directors believe they should sign a cheaper forward, Spanish sports newspaper Marca has reported, especially since they are set to spend around 80 million euros in bringing James Rodriguez in.

Although Carlo Ancelotti believes Madrid should sign a young talented striker who would accept sitting on the bench regularly, Negredo is another attractive option, since he knows the club well and would also be willing to return home even if it’s for becoming Benzema’s substitute.

The main obstacle for this deal is Manchester City’s refusal to let Negredo go. Atletico Madrid already tried to sign the Spaniard this summer, but the North England club would not accept less than 30 million euros for him.

Negredo scored 23 goals in 48 games for City last season in his first year in the Premier League. Despite not having played as much as he expected, he is happy with the experience of playing in England, although he would also like to return to Spain.

* Get all the latest Real Madrid news on our Twitter account @realmadridnewsw.

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Alvaro Morata has penned a letter to Madridistas around the world thanking them for their support after completing a move to Juventus.

The 22-year-old forward becomes the most expensive home-grown player to leave the club, with the Italian champions having paid Los Blancos 18 million euros. Real have a buy-back clause they can activate within the first two years of the contract.

After completing the medical and being presented to the fans, Morata then published a letter on the Real Madrid website thanking everyone at the club for the help they had given him during his early years as a player.

“I joined this club as a boy and you have looked after me and nurtured me like a family. I go away with the affection of the fans, who always supported me, in the good and the not-so-good times. I go away with the friendship and professionalism of my team-mates and coaches, every last one of them,” he wrote.

He also went on to describe the values he had learned while at the club, and assured fans that in victory or defeat, he always gave 100% when playing in the famous white shirt.

“From the first day I felt equally as passionate about this shirt whether in defeat or victory. I go away with the values of this club: camaraderie, solidarity, hard work, dedication… and always fighting to the end, as we were taught by the great legends of Real Madrid, especially Alfredo Di Stéfano,” Morata wrote.

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Real Madrid fans would like to see a midfield trio of Toni Kroos, Angel di Maria and Luka Modric, according to a poll carried out by Marca.

The three midfielders were named the most by Madridistas when asked who should be in the starting line up when the new season starts. Kroos was the most popular name, with the German World Cup winner riding the crest of a wave at the moment having just completed his 20 million euro switch from Bayern Munich.

While there are question marks over di Maria’s future at the club in the Spanish press, the Madrid fans have no doubt they want him to stay and form a key part of the team alongside Modric.

Of the remaining midfielders at the club, the fans said the first one they would bring off the bench is Isco, followed by veteran midfielder Xabi Alonso.

The losers in the poll were Sami Khedira and Asier Illarramendi, who were all deemed surplus to requirements by Madridistas. Both of those players could be heading to the exit door this summer either on a temporary or permanent basis.

World Cup winner Khedira has been strongly linked with a move to FA Cup winners Arsenal or city rivals Chelsea, who won nothing under Jose Mourinho last season. Illarramendi has attracted the interest of Athletic Bilbao, while another midfielder, Casemiro, has already left the club for a Porto, where he will spend the season on loan.

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James Rodriguez and Keylor Navas are dominating the headlines still with Marca and AS finding new ways to discuss the probable signings without there actually being any real advancement over the weekend.

Marca goes for a front page with Toni Kroos along with signings made by other top European clubs this season so far and the headline screams ‘Colossus Blancos’. The paper says a number of betting companies have already made Real favourites to retain their European crown next May and that the signings they have made this summer have strengthened the squad compared to last season.

There may still be more players to come too – not only Rodriguez and Navas. Following the depature of Alvaro Morata to Juventus, Real are probably a striker short and according to Marca, have turned their attention to Alvaro Negredo at Manchester City. The report claims Real directors are aware only Benzema can play the number 9 role effectively, and with the club competing in six competitions this year, will need a big squad and top class replacements.

Negredo grew up in the Los Blancos youth team and knows the club well. Although he says he is happy in Manchester, he could be open to a return to Spain having fallen down the pecking order at the Citizens. His lack of playing time last season saw him miss out on Spain’s World Cup squad.

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Seven out of every 10 Real Madrid fans want to see Keylor Navas as the club’s number one keeper next season, according to a new poll.

Spanish sports daily Marca, which has close links to the club, held the online poll in which they asked readers to pick either Navas or Iker Casillas as the number one for the new season.

And club captain Casillas only garnered 30% of the votes with the Costa Rican Navas taking a huge 70% – despite not actually being officially unveiled as a Los Blancos player yet.

Speculation has increased in recent weeks that the Levante keeper will end up in the Spanish capital, particularly after some impressive performances at the World Cup in Brazil. Unfancied Costa Rica made it out of the Group of Death ahead of Uruguay, Italy and England, and saw off Greece in the second round before being defeated on penalties by Holland. Much of the success was down to Navas’ incredible saves.

Marca announced earlier this week that the deal has been agreed between the clubs, and it is just a matter of time before he is unveiled. Meanwhile, there is some doubt surrounding World Cup winner Casillas, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal. Real’s other shot stopper, Diego Lopez, is subject of interest from Monaco and Napoli.

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Real Madrid’s Brazilian midfielder Casemiro has joined Portuguese side Porto on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent deal.

A statement on the Porto website confirmed the player had signed and would be part of Julen Lopetegui’s side for the coming campaign.

“Porto have secured Brazilian midfielder Casemiro from Real Madrid for one season. The Dragons have an option to purchase him at the end of that period,” the statement read.

The 22-year-old signed for Los Blancos in January 2013, initially on a six-month loan, but impressed club officials enough that they brought him back on a permanent deal from Sao Paulo last summer for six million euros.

But the youngster found first team opportunities hard to come by under Carlo Ancelotti, who preferred more experienced options such as Xabi Alonso, Luka Modric, Angel di Maria and Sami Khedira.

Last season, in which Real won the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, Casemiro made 11 appearances in La Liga, 10 as a substitute. He also featured in six Champions League fixtures but was not included in the squad as Los Blancos defeated Atletico de Madrid to claim their 10th European crown.

Should Porto be satisfied with his performances this season, they will have the right to buy him on a permanent deal next summer.

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Despite not having played the World Cup final due to a last-minute injury, Same Khedira made history that day becoming the tenth player to win the World Cup and the Champions League in the same season. Only two Real Madrid players had previously fulfilled this achievement: Roberto Carlos and Christian Karembeu.

When Khedira suffered a knee ligament injury back in November, it seemed that the 2013-14 season would not leave good memories for him, since he would need six months to recover and he would be a doubt to play again for Los Blancos and his national team in the season.

However, Khedira was able to recover from that blow, reducing the recovery period and returning before expected. Thus, Carlo Ancelotti could count on him in the last dates of La Liga and the Champions League final, a match in which he featured in the starting eleven.

His miraculous recovery also earned him a ticket to Brazil, where he was a key player for Germany. In fact, hadn’t he picked up an injury during the warm up, he would have made it in the starting eleven, closing a historic season for him. Only Roberto Carlos in 2002 with Brazil and Karembeu in 1998 with France have won the World Cup with their national teams and the Champions League with Los Blancos in the same year.

Thus, Khedira joined a list of only ten players who have lifted the European and the World titles in one season. Apart from Roberto Carlos and Karembeu, Sepp Maier, Paul Breitner, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Uli Honess and Jupp Kapellmann did it.

Khedira is also the tenth player to win the World Cup while being a Real Madrid player. That list includes Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Alvaro Arbeloa, Raul Albiol, Xabi Alonso, Gunter Netzer, Jorge Valdano, Roberto Carlos and Karembeu.

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Alvaro Morata is set to complete his switch from Real Madrid to Juventus today.

The 21-year-old forward arrived in Turin on Friday night and will undergo a medical examination before putting pen-to-paper on his contract. The two clubs are thought to have agreed a fee in the region of 18 million euros, and it also includes a buy back clause within the first two years.

On his arrival in Italy, Morata answered some questions from waiting journalists and admitted he was happy about his impending transfer.

“I am very happy to be here,” he told Sky Sport Italia.  “I will have my medical tomorrow and can’t wait to start my new adventure. The medical is tomorrow. I hope everything goes well.”

Morata, who won the European Under-21 Championship with Spain last summer, has been keen on a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu for some time. He grew up in the club’s youth teams, but found it difficult to make his mark on the first-team last season. It was always going to hard to compete with Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, but the youngster also found himself behind Jese Rodriguez in the pecking order and felt he needed to move on to boost his career.

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Real Madrid head to the US on Monday where their preparations for the new season will intensify. A number of the players involved in the World Cup will also return to the group having been given an extended break.

But the main talking point this morning is the signing of James Rodriguez. Both Marca and AS go with the Colombian on their front pages and say the deal is almost done. According to Marca, Los Blancos have offered 75 million euros for the attacking midfielder, while Monaco are looking for 85 million. The paper says once the final figure is agreed, the transfer will be confirmed.

AS says preparations have already been made for Rodriguez’ arrival in Madird  and that the 22-year-old already has a room for himself at Valdebebas. The only thing holding up the deal now is the departure of Angel di Maria. AS claims di Maria will leave the Santiago Bernabeu and Rodriguez will then be unveiled as a Los Blancos player.

Elsewhere, Alvaro Morata is in Turin now and could be presented as a Juventus player later on today. The final fee is thought to be around 18 million and Real have a buy-back clause they can activate after the first year.

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AC Milan are considering a move for Real Madrid midfielder Isco, according to reports in Italy.

The Rossoneri are expecting to offload former Los Blancos striker Robinho and want to bring Isco in as his replacement at the San Siro. According to Tuttosport, the European giants are in talks with MLS franchise Orlando City over the sale of Robingo for around four million euros. That deal would go through in 2015, and in the meantime, Milan would loan him to former side Santos in Brazil.

Isco would then become Milan’s main summer transfer target, the report said, with the Italian side keen to add a creative spark in the midfield and improve the link up play with the forwards.

The 22-year-old only signed for Real last summer in a 30 million euro deal from Malaga. Despite a good start to the season, he found himself out in the cold once Gareth Bale had returned to fitness and Carlo Ancelotti switched to his favoured 4-3-3 formation.

Once considered one of the bright hopes for Spanish football, Isco struggled to get regular first team football and missed out on a place in his national side’s World Cup squad for the tournament in Brazil.

Toni Kroos has already been signed, and the impending arrival of James Rodriguez will only block Isco’s path to the first team even more, and a move to Milan may appeal for the playmaker.

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