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Monaco’s forward James Rodriguez could be set for a move to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, following his brilliant performance with Colombia national team in the World Cup.

The 22-year-old forward has been linked with Real Madrid for a few months, but his great state of form might have convinced Los Blancos to finally make an oficial bid for him.

Real have reportedly ruled out Radamel Falcao’s signing, and with the striker staying in Monaco the Ligue 1 side could be more open to let Rodriguez go.

The player would find a move to Madrid interesting. After Colombia’s victory against Uruguay in the last-16 round of the World Cup, Rodriguez told Spanish radio Cope that he likes “Real Madrid better than Barcelona.”

The youngster confessed that it would be “a dream come true” to play in the Spanish league “because it’s the most important league in the world.”

Rodriguez is the top scorer of the World Cup at the moment with five goals. With Monaco, he made 38 appearances last season, scoring ten goals and providing 12 assists.

His price could be the main obstacle for his arrival to Madrid. Monaco paid Oporto 45 million euros last summer for the Colombia international, and they will not be willing to let him go for less than 50 million.

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Reports in Italy and Spain have suggest the Italian FA want Carlo Ancelotti to take over as the boss of the national side.

Cesare Prandelli quit his role following the early elimination from the World Cup. They started off by beating England but lost to both Costa Rica and Uruguay to go crashing out at the group stage.

And El Confidencial says Ancelotti is seen as the man to restore Italy to its former glories having built a hugely impressive CV and worked in many countries. A poll in Italy showed that 84% of Italians want the Real Madrid manager to take over the national side, with Roberto Mancini and Luciano Spalletti other potential candidates for the job.

The job however may come too soon for Ancelotti. The 55-year-old has never kept secret his desire to manage his national team one day, but having won the Champions League and Copa del Rey in his first season at Real Madrid, he’s thought to be willing to commit his future to the club by signing a new deal.

Prior to his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ancelotti had won the Champions League with AC Milan, and has also won trophies in England with Chelsea and in France with PSG.

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No Real Madrid players were in action yesterday as Holland and Costa Rica made it through to the last eight of the competition at the expense of Mexico and Greece. Tonight Raphael Varane and Karim Benzema should be in action for France, while Sami Khedira will line up for Germany as the two countries prepare for their respective last 16 clashes.

In terms of Real Madrid news, transfers once again dominate the pages in the two main sports papers, Marca and AS. The former leads with Toni Kroos while the latter goes with Jame Rodriguez.

Marca claims Real Madrid are close to the signing of Kroos having already agreed personal terms with the player. They say that should Los Blancos and Bayern Munich reach an agreement, Kroos will sign a five-year deal at the Santiago Bernabeu. The German international has only one year left on his deal at the Allianz Arena and has so far failed to agree a new contract with Pep Guardiola’s side.

Meanwhile, Monaco man James Rodriguez is in the spotlight due to his sensational World Cup. He scored two goals for Colombia in the last 16 at the weekend to take his tally to five overall in the tournament. And speaking afterwards he told reporters he would prefer a move to Real over Barcelona – something AS has picked up on and says Los Blancos will follow up on.

Finally, Alvaro Arbeloa has been keeping fit over the summer. The full-back posted a picture of himself and a friend having completed a triathlon in San Sebastian at the weekend. The team at realmadridnews.com also competed their first triathlon at the weekend in Madrid and knows how tough the event is, so congratulations to Arbeloa!

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Zinedine Zidane has a clear vision of how he wants to manage Real Madrid Castilla, according to former Los Blancos player Guti.

The France and Real Madrid legend was appointed manager of Real Madrid’s second team earlier this week as he takes his first steps into management. The former attacking player, who scored a sensation goal in the Champions League in 2002, has made no secret of his ambition to become a top boss one day.

Speaking to Marca, ex-midfielder Guti said the club has done well to retain the services of Zidane and that the young players in the second team will never has the opportunity like this to learn from one of the greatest ever players.

“Zidane is a strong, ambitious man with a clear vision, which is why they have to be very happy with the decision that he has made at Real Madrid,” he stated.

And he added: “The lads know they have a unique opportunity, and I’m sure they’ll learn a lot from Zidane and his talent.”
Guti also went on to praise Carlo Ancelotti for the job he did in his first season at the club, in which he won the Champions League and Copa del Rey.
“I think he’s an extraordinary coach who has been able to get the most out of every single player. On top of that he’s well-loved in the dressing room, which is fundamental,” he commented.

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Real Madrid’s young Russian winger Denis Cheryshev will spend next season on loan at Villarreal, the La Liga club have announced.

The Yellow Submarines, who returned to Spain’s top flight last season, said the 23-year-old needs to pass a medical with the club before being presented but negotiations between them and Real Madrid have been concluded.

Cheryshev, who has represented Russia but was not selected for their World Cup squad, spent last season on loan at Sevilla. He experienced a frustrating season though, suffering a number of injuries which restricted his playing time at the Sanchez Pizjuan.

He will be hoping his luck changes in his time at El Madrigal so he can prove his worth and force his way into Carlo Ancelotti’s thinking at Real Madrid.

Son of former football Dmitri, Cheryshev grew up in the youth teams at Los Blancos. He was a key part of the Real Madrid Castilla team that won promotion to Spain’s second division in the 2011-12 season. In total, he made 104 appearances and netted 22 times with the second string.

Cheryshev has only made one appearance with the first team squad, coming on as a substitute on Real’s 3-0 win against CD Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey in November 2012.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s exploits for Real Madrid this season had a direct impact on his performance at the World Cup, according to Los Blancos legend Raul.

Ronaldo was at his very best once again this year, scoring 51 goals for his club and helping them securing the historic 10th European Cup as well as the Copa del Rey. He set a new goalscoring record in the Champions League, and picked up the Ballon d’Or award too – the second time he has won that in his career.

But Raul said in his column for The Times of India that the 29-year-old had given so much for Los Blancos that he had nothing left in the tank when it came to the World Cup.

Portugal crashed out in the group stages, losing 4-0 to Germany, drawing with the USA, and defeating Ghana in the final match. Ronaldo was clearly not at 100% but did manage to find the back of the net in the last game against the African nation.

Raul wrote: “The World Cup will not see the world’s best player beyond the group stage and that is sad. Ronaldo was undoubtedly the player of the season, having helped Real Madrid to a 10th European title, scoring 17 goals in 11 Champions League matches, and breaking all records.

“But as we have seen so many times in the last few years, club commitments once again took its toll on a superstar and football’s biggest show missed a chance to see him in full flow.”

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Marcelo was the only Real Madrid player on World Cup duty yesterday as Brazil defeated Chile on penalties to advance to the quarter finals of the tournament. The Los Blancos left back was one of the five selected to take a spot kick and successfully dispatched his beyond incoming Barcelona keeper Raul Bravo.

In terms of Real Madrid news, the main talk of the day is the expected transfer of Falcao from Monaco to Los Blancos. Yesterday, AS said the Colombia forward,once of Atletico de Madrid, was open to a move to the Santiago Bernabeu and was waiting for a call.

Now, both Marca and AS have stepped up their coverage. The papers say Monaco are willing to negotiate a deal for a player they paid 45 million euros for last summer.

AS has an interview with former Real player Ricardo Carvalho, now at Monaco. And the defender says signing Falcao would be final piece in the jigsaw. “I think Falcao is the only piece missing. With Ronaldo, Falcao and Bale, Madrid would have the best attacking trio in the world,” the Portuguese said.

Elsewhere, Casemiro may be allowed to leave the club this summer on a permanent deal. Inter Milan are thought to be interested. And Real could allow Asier Illarramendi to move on loan to give him the chance of getting more first team football and aid his development.

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Sporting Portugal’s midfielder William Carvalho could be set to make a move from Lisbon to Madrid this summer. Real Madrid have shown an interest in signing the Portuguese international, and the youngster has admitted he’s open to a transfer.

Los Blancos have been reportedly eyeing Carvalho since April. The 22-year-old has been the revelation of the Portuguese league, and he has caught the attention of many big European clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal and Malaga.

The fact that Jorge Mendes is his agent has reinforced the options of Carvalho arriving to Madrid, since he has strong links with Los Blancos -he’s also the agent of Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, Fabio Coentrao, Angel di Maria and Marcelo.

Furthermore, Carvalho has stated in an interview with MaisFutebol that he doesn’t know whether he “will stay at Sporting or leave.”

The main obstacle for his exit is the 45-million-euros buy-out clause in his contract. Los Merengues are not willing to pay so much money for a player who has only had one good season.

Carvalho has made 29 appearances this season, scoring four goals and earning a spot in Portugal’s squad for Brazil’s World Cup. After the Portuguese had been knocked out, Carvalho has returned home. “For now I will return to Portugal, and we’ll see what happens,” he has stated.

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Real Madrid legend Raul has called on Spain boss Vicente del Bosque to replace the more senior members of the national side with younger players as they look towards the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.

La Roja went into the World Cup in Brazil with high hopes of defending the title they won four years ago but were humiliated by Holland in the opening game and followed that up with a 2-0 loss to Chile. Players who have been stalwarts of the side for many years such as Xabi Alonso, Xavi, David Villa and Fernando Torres all looked to be jaded in the tournament, and Raul says it is time to move on.

Speaking to the Times of India, the former Spain international, who represented his country between 1996 and 2006, said the older players must be remembered with fondness for what they achieved. But he added it is time to move on.

He stated: “Instead of arguing [that] this individual would have been better than that [one], let’s agree that the generation that brought Spain all the glory is past its prime. Preferably, they should come from the next generation and we must use as many of them as possible in our Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.”

And he continued: “Casillas, Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta, Xabi Alonso won all that was there to be won but in Brazil, perhaps with the exception of Iniesta, they looked jaded. So we do need replacements. There were too many stalwarts who may not play for Spain again and before banishing them, one must remember with fondness what they have achieved.”

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Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has said his tean mates in the Spain squad will make the country proud again soon after their disastrous experience in the World Cup.

The 2010 winners were sent packing at the first stage after suffering defeats to Holland and Chile, and despite a win over Australia, there has been much doom and gloom in Spain.

Many pundits have called for widespread changes in personnel, and Vicente del Bosque has said he will think about his future too.

But taking to social media site Twitter, Ramos urged fans to stick behind La Roja, and the players will soon bring back the good times.

“Falling isn’t important, what is is knowing how to get up. We’ll bring you back the pride of feeling like champions,” Ramos stated.

Spain have the chance to get back on track soon when qualification gets underway for the Euro 2016 championship in France. Despite a number of changes in the squad, with the likes of Xabi Alonso, David Villa, Fernando Torres and Xavi having played their final games for the team, they should still navigate a group containing Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus, Macedonia and Luxembourg.

They have lost their World Cup crown, but will be gunning for a third consecutive European Championship win in France in 2016.

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