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Real Madrid kick off La Liga season this weekend. They’ll start against Betis, a team managed by Pepe Mel. The Andalucian’s coach returns to his former home, as he is one of the hundreds of players that grew up at Los Merengues.

Mel joined Madrid in 1974 and spent 14 years at the club, with the exception of one year when he went on loan to Alcala. In fact, the Betis boss has joked a few times about his long stay at Real: “I arrived at 11 years old and left as a married man”.

During that time in Los Blancos youth teams he coincided with a number of players that would later earn a spot in Real Madrid’s history, such as Emilio Butragueno, Chendo, Rafael Martin Vazquez and Michel.

However, Mel wasn’t lucky enough to become a member of the first squad, as he only played one game for Real Madrid, a friendly against Calvo Sotelo.

The lack of chances to play in the first team had to do with the fact that he played as striker, and Real had world class players in that position back them, such as Hugo Sanchez, Santillana and Butragueno.

Plus, apart from his year on loan at Alcala, when he scored 34 goals, his scoring record was never impressive with Castilla. Thus, he felt forced to find his way far from Santiago Bernabeu, a place where he will return next Sunday.

* Photo: Pepe Mel and Michel with Real Madrid Castilla (Liga BBVA)

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Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has been offered to Paris Saint-Germain, according to radio reports in France.

The player’s representative contacted the Ligue 1 champions to sound out a potential transfer from the Santiago Bernabeu, Radio Monte Carlo claimed.

Following the arrival of Isco, Casemiro and Asier Illarramendi at Los Blancos, the Germany has fallen down the pecking order, and the club seems ready to cash in on him.

New PSG boss is on the lookout for midfield reinforcements following the retirement of former Real player David Beckham, while Mohamed Sissoko and Mathieu Bodmer are expected to leave the Parc des Prince.

Khedira joined Real Madrid after the World Cup in 2010 and has played 126 times, scoring eight times.

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Madrid sports newspapers claim that the next few days will be crucial for Gareth Bale’s move to Real Madrid.

“Key week for Bale’s signing”, titles As, who claim the Welshman wants the deal to be closed now, but Tottenham Hotspur owner Daniel Levy will prolong it at least until the 18th of August.

Marca states that Bale will meet Levy tomorrow to try to convince him for getting the negotiations going.

The Madrid daily also reports Wales national team manager words about Bale’s move. “If Real Madrid wants to pay 100 million euros, it’s not his fault”, Chris Coleman said.

In other news, Marca claims that Manchester City are insisting on bringing Pepe to North England. However, “Madrid won’t sell”, they affirm.

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Real Madrid’s attempt to sign Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur is just a commercial stunt, according to former Los Blancos director of football Arrigo Sacchi.

The Italian, a good friend of new boss Carlo Ancelotti, told Merediano that the move to sign the PFA Footballer of the year was probably for sponsorship reasons more than anything else.

And he said he doubted whether the 24-year-old Welshman would significantly improve the current squad assembled at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Sacchi stated: “€120m is a huge amount of money, think it’s just a commercial stunt. For Real Madrid to take a British player, it’s probably for sponsor-related reason.”

He was much more positive about his compatriot occupying the managerial hotseat now, calling Ancelotti a ‘great coach’.

“Florentino Perez wanted Ancelotti at Madrid for some time. He was already talking about him when I was there [2004-05] and I am not surprised that in the end he went there really.

“He’s a great coach and he has everything to win trophies and do well at Madrid.”

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Real Madrid playmaker Kaka has admitted he is in need of more playing time this season, in order to make it in Brazil’s squad for the World Cup.

The Brazilian has not performed as expected since he arrived from AC Milan in 2009 for 65 million euros. He has never found a spot in the starting eleven and his role in the team has become less important over the seasons.

Last year, Kaka only started 12 La Liga games, and after missing out on Brazil’s squad for the Confederations Cup, he has set his sights on more playing time to convince Luiz Felipe Scolari and earn a ticket to the World Cup.

“My challenge for this season is to play with more continuity,” he admitted at an Adidas event.

“I want to be physically fit, and then if I do well for my club I can get back in the national team. I want to play in the World Cup next summer”, he confessed.

Kaka had been linked with a move away from Santiago Bernabeu for the last three years, but the arrival of his former Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has silenced the rumours about his exit.

The 31-year-old is now under a special training programme to improve his fitness, and Ancelotti seems ready to give him a more important role in the team.

“Carlo is an open coach who is helping me a lot. Personally, it’s great to train with him”, Kaka said.

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Real Madrid’s attempts to lure Gareth Bale to the Santiago Bernabeu having been given a boost as Fabio Coentrao is believed to be open to a move in the opposite direction as part of the deal.

Los Blancos have been stalling on the 100 million euro asking price and their interest appeared to be on the wane as a result, with Carlo Ancelotti saying he was happy with the players he already has at his disposal.

But Madrid may now return to Tottenham Hotspur with an offer for Bale, the PFA Player of the Year, with a cash-plus-player deal available.

Coentrao is known to be keen on a move away from the Spanish capital having lost his place in the first team to Marcelo, but was thought to be eying up a return to his native Portugal where he previously played with Benfica. Reports suggest he may now be keen to take up the challenge of the Premier League and complete a switch to White Hart Lane.

The club values the left back at around 15 million euros, and would off a further 85 million in cash – to be paid in four separate installments.

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Gareth Bale refused to talk to Marca and As correspondents in Cardiff, claiming he “can’t say anything now” about his possible transfer to Real Madrid.

The 24-year-old attended a training session with Wales national team and met Spanish journalists, who asked him about the negotiations between Tottenham Hotspur and Real. “It is not the moment to speak”, As titles. The Madrid daily also reports that Manchester United have enter the race to sign Bale.

The PFA Player of the Year has been subject of much speculation all summer following an outstanding season for Tottenham Hotspur in which he scored 26 goals in all competitions. While the player will not publicly speak out against the White Hart Lane club, and manager Andre Villas Boas, it is thought he is privately keen to join Los Blancos in a bid to play in the Champions League.

Bale experienced a season in Europe’s premier competition and scored a superb hat-trick against Inter Milan before his side eventually crashed out in the quarter final against Real Madrid.

Meanwhile, the main focus on Marca’s front page is a story about Carlo Ancelotti claiming “this is the best squad I’ve ever had”. “The Italian is fascinated with the team”, Marca states. “He praises Ronaldo, Isco, Jese and Carvajal to the skies”, the Madrid paper adds.

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Former Real Madrid star Fernando Hierro has claimed Jose Mourinho had the most power at the club that any manager has enjoyed in the last 20 years.

The Portuguese boss, who won La Liga and the Copa del Rey in his three-year stint in the Spanish capital, had a difficult final season in which Los Blancos failed to land a major trophy, and was overshadowed by a number of high profile fallings-out with players, other coaches, and officials.

Mourinho left the Santiago Bernabeu dugout in May and is now in charge of a former side of his, Chelsea.

Speaking about the former manager’s time in Madrid, Hierro said: “Every club is different and Madrid is even more so. Madrid is a club where you have to win and it’s a place that can wear you down – where people have a different way of thinking.”

He told Fifa.com that he believed Mourinho enjoyed the most power at the club compared to any other manager in the last two decades.

But he added: “If you ask him though, perhaps he’d say he didn’t have as much authority as he’d have liked. But everyone knows him perfectly.”

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Premier League champions Manchester United may enter the race to sign Gareth Bale, according to the Independent.

Real Madrid have been linked with the Tottenham Hotspur winger all summer long and have at times seemed to be on the verge of clinching a deal to sign the PFA Footballer of the Year.

But the paper said Carlo Ancelotti has cooled slightly on making a move for the Welshman due to the 100 million euro asking price.

The Italian boss feels confident that if Los Blancos don’t sign the 24-year-old, players such as Alvaro Morata and Jese will be able to step up to the job.

With Real’s interest currently stalled, the Independent claims the Red Devils may make a move. New manager David Moyes is keen to land a top name player having missed out on Cesc Fabregas and could make and attempt to take Bale to Old Trafford.

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Fiorentina could make Real Madrid an offer to sign Xabi Alonso before the transfer market deadline, according to Spanish radio station Cadena SER.

Former Liverpool’s scout Eduardo Macia, now technical director at the Italian club, is reported to have contacted the player and his agent to try to convince the Basque to sign for Fiorentina.

Alonso is yet to sign the renewal of his contract with Los Blancos, which expires in June 2014. Fiorentina are reportedly considering whether sending an offer now or waiting ten months and attempt to bring in Alonso on a free.

Nevertheless, they will first have to convince Alonso, who has also been linked to Chelsea, Liverpool and Juventus.

However, Real Madrid’s aim is to renew the 31-year-old’s contract, although they are not expected to offer him the long-term deal Alonso would like.

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