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Brazilian midfielder Casemiro is a summer target for Premier League side Arsenal, according to reports in the UK press.

The Daily Mirror reported the FA Cup finalists want to bolster their midfield options by signing the Real Madrid man and have sent scouts to watch him throughout the campaign.

The 23-year-old signed for Los Blancos last summer in a 5 million euro deal from Sao Paolo having initially spent six months on loan at the Santiago Bernabeu. Although he has done a good job when he has played, the midfielder has seen little first team football under Carlo Ancelotti.

His path to regular first team action is blocked by the likes of Xabi Alonso, Luka Modric and Asier Illarramendi, while Sami Khedira will also likely be ahead of Casemiro in the pecking order once he returns to full fitness.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who raided the Spanish club last summer for German star Mesut Ozil, has a host of creative midfielders at his disposal but would like a more defensive midfielder to play alongside Matieu Flamini and replace the aging Mikel Arteta.

The report in the Mirror also stated that as well as making a move for Casemiro, the Gunners, appearing in their 18th FA Cup final next month, will look to tie up the much spoken about move for Alvaro Morata.

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Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata has revealed it is a ‘privilege’ to play at the club and that he is happy with his progress.

The 21-year-old has netted six league goals this season for Los Blancos – just three fewer than Barcelona’s Neymar – as he has stepped in for the injured Jese Rodriguez and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent matches.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the highly anticipated Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on Wednesday evening, Morata said: “It’s a privilege to wear this shirt.”

He added: “I’m going to give everything for this shirt. Next it’s the final against our biggest rivals and we’ll do everything we can to try and win. If we stick together we’ll achieve that.”

The youngster, who has represented Spain at Under-21 level and was a key member of the side that lifted the European Under-21 Championship last summer, has been linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu in recent months.

It had been claimed that a move to Premier League side Arsenal was agreed and he would join the FA Cup finalists on loan, but news of that move has quietened. He’s also been rumoured to be attracting the interest of some of Europe’s biggest sides including Chelsea, and Liverpool, as well as Napoli, managed by Spaniard Rafa Benitez.

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The build up has is moving through the gears now as the Copa del Rey final is a little more than 36 hours away – stay tuned to Realmadridnews,com as we will be there covering all the action.

But let’s take a look at what the two main Madrid sports papers have to say this morning. Marca goes with Iker Casillas on the front cover, and looks at his record in finals. The World Cup winner will be appearing in his eighth final for Madrid, and he’ll be looking to record his six win. The only two finals he has lost as a Los Blancos player while starting the match were the Supercup against Galatasary and the Intercontinenal Cup against Boca Juniors in 2000/01. He had already won the Champions League final against Valencia.

Since then he has played in numerous finals, and been part of various winning teams. In 2002 he won the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen, and months later he was part of the side that won the Supercup and Intercontinental Cup against Feyernoord and Olimpia respectively. His last appearance in a final was in the Copa del Rey in 2011, when Los Blancos saw off Barcelona 1-0.

There is also a particular focus in Gareth Bale and Neymar ahead of the match. Cristiano Ronaldo is injured and will sit out the action, while Leo Messi has been out of sorts in recent weeks. The papers say the Copa del Rey will be the time for Real’s and Barca’s most high profile summer signings to step up and really make the difference.

Finally, although he is missing the match tomorrow, AS says Ronaldo is working five hours a day in his rehab in order to be fit in time to take on Bayern Munich next week in the first leg of the Champions League semi final.

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Sami Khedira completed his first full training with the rest of the squad since he suffered a cruciate ligament injury in November 2013, when he was playing for Germany in a friendly against Italy.

After five months of recovery –most of them spent in Germany– the midfielder is closer to making a comeback for the final stage of the season.

The knee seems completely recovered, although the German international might need at least two or three weeks to get in decent form.

Thus, Khedira would be available for the final games of La Liga, and also the Champions League final, if Los Blancos were to reach that stage of the competition.

The 27-year-old will also be fit for the World Cup in Brazil, although Joachim Low will have to decide whether he sees Khedira ready to make it in the squad.

With Khedira’s comeback, Jese Rodriguez, Alvaro Arbeloa and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only men who remain in Real Madrid’s infirmary. Arbeloa and Ronaldo are expected to return in the next few weeks, while the Canary Islands-born has recently travelled to Germany after suffering complications in his ligament injury recovery process. He won’t be available for Los Blancos until next season.

* Follow Alejandro Gonzalez on Twitter at @alejandrognieto

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Napoli have shown interest in acquiring Real Madrid left-back Fabio Coentrao according to [football] direct news.

The Portuguese international had been an influential member of the squad over his tenure, but first team minutes have been hard to come by under manager Carlo Ancelotti. Coentrao has recorded just 14 appearances for Madrid this year.

With Napoli incumbent Camilo Zuniga receiving interest from Chelsea and Barcelona, the Italian club could be in the market for a new left-back during the summer transfer window. Zuniga has registered 116 caps for Napoli and should be in position for a significant pay raise over the summer.

Should Coentrao sign, he would join ex-Madrid players Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon and Raul Albiol at Stadio San Paolo, all of whom signed with Napoli last summer.

The left-back has also been linked with English giants Manchester United and Chelsea. Signing with Chelsea would allow the 26-year-old to reunite with former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, under whom Coentrao’s form was at its best. Coentrao was often a favourite of Mourinho’s in important European ties.

Coentrao has been a mainstay with the Portuguese national team, recording 44 caps, and should play an important role for the team in Brazil. He has also spent time at Benfica and Rio Ave.

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Carlo Ancelotti has confessed he is “very optimistic over the end of the season” as Real Madrid face the challenge of winning the treble –La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League.

The Italian manager admitted Los Blancos “can lose or win all titles, but if I was given the chance to choose a squad to face this season ending, I would always pick Real Madrid’s, because it has youth, experience, talent and character.”

In an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Ancelotti shared his views on the Copa del Rey final: “It will be levelled and very tense. I hope to see a Madrid that takes the lead, which is not easy against Barcelona, because their philosophy is to control possession. I think that will be the key.”

Asked about Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury, Los Merengues boss explained they are not going “to take any risks.” “If he isn’t fit, the system will not change. Players are convinced and comfortable. They’ve got faith and I see them in fine conditions, he added.”

The Italian believes “the key to win the final will be showing all our own strengths rather than focusing on limiting those of the rival.”

When questioned about the referee for the final, Antonio Mateu Lahoz, Ancelotti said “I haven’t even asked about him. I never speak about referees with the players. That doesn’t bother me.”

Ancelotti also spoke about the game against Borussia Dortmund: “I tried to encourage players at half-time, because their mood was very pessimistic. I did a few readjustments. It wasn’t easy but we improved. It seemed it was a tragedy, but at the end we were in the draw.”

Asier Illarramendi was very criticised for his poor game in Dortmund. “I spoke to him because I saw him affected, and he responded well against Almeria. He’s a serious and dedicated boy,” Ancelotti said.

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Borussia Dortmund have made it official: Nuri Sahin is returning to the club.

The Germans announced that they have activated a buyback clause in Sahin’s current loan contract from Real Madrid, allowing the Turkish midfielder to return for a price of about €7 million, according to a SkySports story.

“We met with Real Madrid officials when the two clubs played in the Champions League quarterfinals recently, and we have made it clear to them that we intend to make use of the option to buy,” Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said in an interview with German newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten.

Sahin came through the ranks at Dortmund and spent several years as a key player in their main squad, including the 2010-11 season when he was voted the Bundesliga’s player of the year.

He moved to the Spanish capital the following May, but a string of injuries started him off on the wrong foot and he only made a handful of appearances for Los Blancos. The following season, he went out on loan to Liverpool, but that too proved unsuccessful, and in January 2013, all parties agreed to terminate the existing loan contract and allow Sahin to return to Dortmund on loan from Madrid.

Since returning, Sahin has experienced a rebirth, starting almost every match and putting in dazzling performances at the centre of the pitch. He did enough to impress manager Jurgen Klopp, so officials at the Signal Iduna Park moved to activate the permanent purchase clause.

Fans will be pleased to see the longtime Dortmund man return on a long-term contract as the team looks to rebuild after making the 2013 Champions League final only to suffer a string of damaging injuries in the current season. The news shortly after the signing of Hertha Berlin striker Adrian Ramos was announced.

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There are just two days to go now until the Copa del Rey final and both Barcelona and Real Madrid are in their final preparations for the match.

Marca and AS have plenty of coverage surrounding the much anticipated clash. Each club will have 20,000 supporters in the stadium in Valencia, while many more are expected t travel in search of finding tickets at the last minute. According to AS, some tickets are being sold on the black market for up to 2600 euros – more than 10 times their face value.

In terms of team news, Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti will welcome back Daniel Carvajal and Xabi Alonso from suspension, while Sergio Ramos will be fit after sitting out the win over Almeria through injury. In more welcome news, Sami Khedira has joined training again with his teammates, although the Copa del Rey final will come too soon.

Marca and AS have plenty of news about Real’s rivals for the match, and it would appear Barcelona are in somewhat disarray. According to the press, they face a defensive crisis, with Gerard Pique and Marc Bartra set to lose the race against time to be fit to make the starting 11. It would mean the prospect of having Alex Song and Javier Mascherano as the two centre backs, both of whom looking unconvincing at best in the loss to Granada.

 

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Real Madrid are looking to make it a perfect week for everyone associated with the club, defender Pepe has said.

After playing his part in keeping another clean sheet in the 4-0 over Almeria at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Portugal international switched his attention to the final of the Copa del Rey against Barcelona.

Speaking to journalists, he said the league situation was tight, and that any of the three teams at the top could drop points at any moment. “I hope this will be a good week for us and we can give the fans something to be happy about,” he said.

He went on: “The Spanish league is a tough one and any team can take points off each other. We need to fight hard in the two away games we have left, and try to win our remaining home matches.”

Switching his focus to the upcoming Copa final, he said Barcelona are still a top team, and it would be wrong to call them anything less, despite two consecutive defeats that have seen them exit the Champions League and all but end their La Liga hopes too.

“To say Barcelona are weak is wrong and misleading. We need to be switched on, and play with intensity and just get on with the way we play our game. I’m sure the fans will play a big part too and we will give everything to win.”

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The Collins Column

So, a huge week for Real Madrid then. They moved into a strong position in La Liga with that stroll in the park against Almeria. And now they take on Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday.

The Catalans have lost their last two successive games without scoring a goal. I can’t remember the last time that happened. Even so, Tato Martino’s team will be a formidable opponent as always in the final, and could be like a wounded lion having suffered their recent setbacks in the Champions League and La Liga.

Los Blancos go into the game with a number of fitness concerns, not least that of Cristiano Ronaldo, who will likely sit out the match nursing a hamstring strain. But there are plenty of positives to draw from the Almeria match, and in other recent showings, that Madrid should be confident of ahead of Wednesday night and the rest of the campaign.

  1. The importance of Angel di Maria: It seems a long time ago now that the Argentine was being booed from the field and making rude gestures at his own fans. Out of form, and struggling with injury niggles, the tricky winger looked likely to be one of the players allowed to leave the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer. Fast forward a couple of months and he’s back in favour and putting in some stellar perfomances. Despite losing the Clasico last month, di Maria put in a superb individual performance. Against Almeria he was once again excellent – popping up all over the final third and caused the defence a headache all night long. Was rewarded for his performance with a brilliant goal too.
  2. The attacking unit: It seems incredible to suggest it, but Cristiano Ronaldo has hardly been missed in the last two La Liga games. Since getting injured in the first leg of the Champions League quarter final against Borussia Dortmund, Los Blancos have played two league fixtures. Real Sociedad and Almeria have both been dispatched with ease, 4-0 on both occasions. Whoever plays in the attacking unit, it seems to work these days. Karim Benzema spearheads the attack, but the likes of Isco, di Maria, Gareth Bale and Alvaro Morata all have the skill and ability to switch positions, draw defenders out and create chance after chance. With Barcelona facing a defensive crisis on Wednesday, Madrid will be hopeful of scoring goals.
  3. Are we seeing the best of Gareth Bale? The Welshman didn’t have the best start to life in Spain, nursing ankle and hamstring problems in the opening months of the campaign. He missed the whole of pre-season training with Los Blancos, and of course had to adapt to a new league, culture and language. He seems more settled now and has struck up a great understanding with Benzema and Ronaldo. He netted once again on Saturday, his 19th of a very productive season since his switch from Spurs. The 24-year-old looks to have his confidence back and be at full fitness. The forward has blistering pace, and will provide Barcelona plenty to think about in Valencia.
  4. Perfect time to play Barcelona: Whilst Real Madrid seem to have recovered from their La Liga defeats against Los Cules and Sevilla and be hitting top form again (despite their loss in Dortmund during the week), Barcelona seem to have run out of luck. Beset by injuries to key players such as Gerard Pique, the Catalans look like they are running through treacle at the moment. Messi and Neymar are out of sorts, and the players and manager are under pressure from the fans and the local press. The Copa del Rey now looks like their only realistic chance of silverware this season, but Madrid will be hoping to take advantage of the fact the reigning La Liga champions are low on confidence and out of sorts. A perfect time to play them maybe?
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