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Real Madrid will keep hold of young defender Nacho Fernandez next season, despite interest from some clubs to take him on loan, according to reports.

Spanish sports daily Marca said Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti wants to keep Nacho in and around the squad for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he will be able to learn from the experienced players around him such as Sergio Ramos, Pepe and Fabio Coentrao.

And secondly, the youngster offers versatility as the back as he is able to play at right-back, left-back, or in the centre. That could come in useful, particularly in the latter stages of the season when injuries and suspensions start to take their toll.

Marca says the cantera product impress Real’s manager and backroom staff whenever he was called upon in the Copa del Rey and Champions League winning campaign just finished. In total, he made 13 starts for the team with another six appearances coming from the bench.

Ancelotti has reportedly told the recently-married defender that he will feature in his plans for the new season and that he will not leave the Santiago Bernabeu unless the club receives a substantial offer for the player which would be too good to refuse.

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There is plenty of news about Real Madrid in this morning’s sports papers after Carlo Ancelotti was interviewed at an event to launch his new website and social media on Monday afternoon.

The Italian covered many different areas, including the prospect of Luis Suarez signing for the club. Ancelotti did not want to be drawn on individual names however and said despite Suarez’ excellent season at Liverpool, it is impossible to improve a front three that already contains Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

He did admit Alvaro Morata would leave the club in search of first team football, but reiterated his belief captain Iker Casillas would stay and is happy with Los Blancos.

Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso has been discussing his international future in an interview with Cadena Cope. The veteran midfielder says he does not know whether he will call it a day after the World Cup in Brazil.

He told the El Partido de las Doce program: “I’ve not decided if I’ll retire from international football. I’m just focused on the World Cup right now. It depends on how we do in the tournament and then I’ll see. If I’m physically and mentally willing to continue, then I will.”

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Alvaro Morata

Real Madrid and Villarreal have reached an agreement for Alvaro Morata to complete a loan move to the Castellon side, according to Spanish daily El Periodico Mediterraneo.

This newspaper claims Florentino Perez aims to extend the striker’s contract and send him to a team where he can get minutes of play and gain experience.

Morata’s contract will expire in June 2015, and Perez’s purpose is to extend the deal as he believes the 21-year-old might be an important player for Los Blancos future.

The Spaniard has been linked with a move to Italy and England, with Juventus and Arsenal being the most rumoured destinies. However, Real Madrid directors would see Villarreal as a perfect place for Morata to develop his game, since he will play in a league he already knows and he will stay closer to home.

El Periodico Mediterraneo states Villarreal president Fernando Roig has been working on this transfer for a while, since he has made Morata’s loan a priority.

Morata could have asked team-mate Diego Lopez about Villarreal, since the goalkeeper played there for five seasons.

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Real Madrid will be thwarted in their attempts to sign Chelsea midfielder Ramires by former boss Jose Mourinho, according to reports.

A number of publications in the UK have claimed Mourinho does not want to allow the Brazilian to leave Stanford Bridge having seen David Luiz go to PSG and Frank Lampard come the the end of his contract at the club.

Real manager Carlo Ancelotti, who signed Ramires for Chelsea in 2010 when he was in charge of the west London club, is believed to be keen on adding him to the squad along with Luis Suarez, and has spoken to president Florentino Perez about his transfer targets.

But Mourinho will not sanction any deal for the player, who has made 196 appearances for the Blues since his 22 million euro transfer.

Ancelotti is on the lookout for a defensive midfielder this summer, with Xabi Alonso in the twilight of his career now and doubts over whether Asier Illarramendi will be able to step up to be a long-term solution after a underwhelming opening season at the club following his transfer from Real Sociedad last summer.

Mourinho is thought to be interested in a number of Real players, and they could be used as part of any offer to bring Ramires to Madrid, although at the moment it seems unlikely to happen.

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June 2nd marked the 36th anniversary of Santiago Bernabeu’s death. The man who Real Madrid’s stadium was named after was possibly the most influential character for Los Blancos to become the great club it is nowadays.

Bernabeu died of cancer after a whole life dedicated to Real Madrid. In fact, before he was president, he worked for the club in many other roles: as striker, assistant manager, delegate and technical secretary.

Brother to one of the club founders, Bernabeu arrived at Real Madrid at 14 years old and made his debut with the first team at 17. He wore the white shirt from 1912 to 1927, scoring 69 goals in 78 appearances.

However, he made history in the club for his years as president. He was in charge for 35 years since 1943. There is still no one who has spent more time as Real Madrid president.

Under his command, Los Merengues built their current stadium, later named after him. He also signed some of the greatest players who have ever played for Real, such as Alfredo di Stefano or Ferenc Puskas.

His legacy as Real Madrid president is impressive: the team won 16 Ligas, six European Cups, one Intercontinental Cup and six Spanish Copas. Moreover, the basketball team conquered 19 leagues, 18 Spanish Cups, six European Cups and three World Cups.

In the 36 years after his death, Real Madrid have failed to beat that record.

A proof of the affection the fans have for him is that 100.000 people attended his funeral when he passed away in 1978.

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Real Madrid assistant manager Zinedine Zidane has confirmed he will stay at the club next season, ending speculation he will leave to take his first job as a manager.

The Los Blancos and France legend has been working under Carlo Ancelotti since the Italian’s arrival at the club last summer and helped mastermind the success in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

But he has made no secret of his desire to make the step up to become a manager himself – perhaps in preparation for the top job at the Santiago Bernabeu one day. The 41-year-old has been linked with a number of jobs in France, with former club Bordeaux thought to be interested in his services. He was also linked with the Monaco job at one stage after Claudio Ranieri left the post.

But speaking after taking part in the Corazon Classic match against Inter Milan at the Bernabeu on Sunday, the World Cup winner confirmed he would be staying with Los Blancos, and admitted he still has a lot to learn from Ancelotti.

“Right now I’m here and I am going to continue at Real Madrid. We’ll see what happens,” he said.

He went on to add: “I’m enjoying my first experiences of coaching – it’s not quite the same as playing but I’m enjoying it.”

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Real Madrid fan Rafael Nadal dominates the sports pages today after winning his ninth French Open yesterday evening, and his 14th Grand Slam in total, bringing him level with the great Pete Sampras.

But there is room for many Los Blancos stories, and we’ll start this morning with Michel Salgado discussing Daniel Carvajal’s future with both club and country. The young right-back, who returned to the club from Bayer Leverkussen last summer, had an impressive season at the Santiago Bernabeu, and was called up tho the initial 30-man World Cup squad before eventually being dropped by Vicente del Bosque for the tournament.

But Salgado says the 22-year old needs to be calm about his future and carry on doing what his is doing.

Speaking after the Corzon Classic match played in Madrid, Salgado said: “It’s surprising Carvajal didn’t make it into the World Cup squad, but the other two full-backs selected did have wonderful seasons too. He knows that he has a great future ahead of him. He’s had a brilliant five months or so with Real Madrid and his international future is good.”

Elsewhere, Ivan Zamorano told the press that Floretino Perez spoke to him about compatriot Arturo Vidal after the game at the Bernabeu on Sunday as efforts are ramped up to sign a midfielder this summer.

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Real Madrid are considering bring Hoffenheim forward Joselu back to the Saniago Bernabeu this summer, according to reports.

Marca claims that with Alvaro Morata’s future in doubt in the Spanish capital, Carlo Ancelotti is keen to bring in another young forward to provide an option from the bench and decent back up cover.

Joselu grew up in the Real Madrid youth squad before being sold to Hoffenheim two years ago. The 10-time European Cup winners insisted on a buyout clause in his contract and could potentially re-sign him for a fee of around 10 million euros.

The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he scored 14 goals for the Bundesliga side.

According to the press in Spain, the signing of Joselu would have to take place before June 30, as the buy back option expires on that date. He is also said to be attracting interest from clubs across Europe including Hertha Berlin, Werder Bremen and Stuttgart. In England, West Bromwich Albion have expressed an intereste, and in Spain, both Sevilla and Villarreal have enquired about him.

The deal to bring Joselu back to the club would be similar to that of Dani Carvajal, who rejoined Los Blancos last summer after spending a year at Bayer Leverkussen.

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Xabi Alonso is a successful footballer, a midfield maestro, a level-headed leader, and sports one of the most perfect beards this side of the Atlantic. But how is he as a bookmaker?

Well, he’s certainly taken the middle ground in admitting that any of a number of teams could win the upcoming World Cup, including hosts Brazil.

“Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy … historically they might have a chance but today everything is very tight and I’m not ruling out a surprise,” Alonso said in a Marca story this week.

Alonso, for what it’s worth, will be in Brazil with Spain defending their victory in the 2010 World Cup, likely bearing scars from when Nigel de Jong studs-up ninja-kicked him in the chest during the final match. The Basque midfielder also holds winner’s medals from European Championships in 2008 and 2012.

However, after a poor loss against Brazil in the final match 2013’s Confederations Cup — a tune-up held in the host country a year before the World Cup itself — Spain are not quite the dominant favourites in the same manner they once were.

Alonso believes that La Roja must have a sharp mentality headed into their opening match on June 13, which, coincidentally, happens to be a rematch of 2010’s final versus the Netherlands.

“[Spain] have to know how to manage the pressure of defending the trophy and not seize or get nervous,” he said in Marca. “I believe this team already has enough experience and can play these championships.”

Beyond the Netherlands, Alonso and his teammates face matchups against Chile and Australia to secure a passage to the knockout rounds.

“[Not getting out of the group] would be a disappointment,” he said. “We have to prepare well because it’s a tough group.”

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Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema is not allowing himself to bask in the glory of winning the Champions League, but look forward to winning more trophies with the club.

In an interview with sports paper Marca, the Frenchman said being part of the team that secured Los Blancos’ 10th European Cup was special but that the celebrations are over quickly before it’s time to move on.

Currently on duty with his national team for the World Cup, the striker said that is his immediate concern, but he also spoke about the aim of winning six trophies with Real Madrid next season.

“I went to Real Madrid to win La Décima. I dreamed all my life about that Cup and I’m very proud. I’ll never forget it. But football moves on quickly. Luckily, we now have the World Cup, but what we have done will always be in a player’s career,” Benzema said.
And about next season with his club, he added: “We want the six titles, Real Madrid have no choice. We have the Club World Cup, the Spanish Super Cup, the European one, the league, the Champions League again and the Cup. We have to win it all. And we can, because we are a great team.”

Benzema was also asked about how the potential signing of Luis Suarez would affect his position in the team and whether it would be a concern for him. Ever the diplomat, he responded by saying the Uruguayan would be a welcome addition.
“I’m not under any special pressure about it. Suárez is a great player and has played a great season. If he comes, he’ll be a help,” he stated.
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