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There is plenty of speculation n the Madrid press this morning about the managerial change at the Bernabeu in the coming weeks.

According to Marca, odds on favourite for the job Carlo Ancelotti has asked World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro to be his assistant.

The Italian is already well known by the Real Madrid fanbase as he enjoyed a successful spell in the Spanish capital between 2006 and 2009.

Both Marca and As run stories on a meeting between club president Florentino Perez and Zinedine Zidane over the Frenchman’s role at the club. As claimed the pair were in talks for more than two hours, and that as well as Zidane’s future role, they also discussed summer signings – and that of Gareth Bale in particular.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez has been speaking about his season and how pleased he is with his form since he arrived at the Bernabeu.

He said: “Every minute at Real Madrid is golden and I want to make the most of every chance I have to play”

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Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has said Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas is ready to play for his country in the Confederations Cup despite losing his position as number one at the Bernabeu.

The World Cup-winning goalkeeper has not played for Los Blancos after suffering a hand injury in January and then being kept out of the side by Diego Lopez.

But del Bosque said he has complete faith in the national team’s captain, and picked him in the squad ahead of the former Villareal stopper.

Speaking at a press conference, the 62-year-old said: “We are certain he is in good form. We spoke in France and since then I haven’t spoken to him, but I’m sure he is fine. He is one of our own.”

He added naming a preliminary squad of 26 for the tournament, which starts on June 15, was a near impossible task.

“I’ve said before that it’s impossible to include every player that deserves a place. You could just as easily ask why we didn’t include Imanol Agirretxe, that lad from Betis, Ruben Castro, Iago Aspas, and Michu,” he stated.

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Florentino Perez was reluctant to spend more than 60 million euros on Gareth Bale’s transfer, but Tottenham’s determination to hold on to their star and Barcelona’s recent signing of Brazilian star Neymar might have changed the Real president’s mind, it has been claimed.

According to the Daily Mail, Perez would now be willing to offer Tottenham 76 million euros to convince Spurs chief executive Daniel Levy that he needs to sell.

With the elections to be held on June 16th, Florentino needs an iconic signing to convince Real Madrid fans, and Bale is his priority. Thus, Los Blancos president plans to accelerate the transfer in any possible manner.

Tottenham have been reported to have started negotiations with Bale to improve his contract to 220,000 euros a week, but Real’s proposal would be more attractive for both the player and the club.

Florentino and his team are working hard to get Carlo Ancelotti and Bale as his candidacy’s main attractions although he will not need any if no other candidates appear before June 2nd.

23-year -old Bale has just won the Player of the Year award in the Premier League, scoring 21 goals, his record at Tottenham.

The Welshman has always said that he is happy at Spurs, but the fact that the club is out of the next Champions League could make him reconsider his future this summer.

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Spanish national team manager Vicente del Bosque has announced the preliminary list of players for this summer’s Confederations Cup in Brazil. Five Real Madrid players have been picked for the squad.

Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol, Alvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso have earned a spot among the 26 selected and they all are expected to be part of the definitive 23-man list.

When asked about the non-selection of Diego Lopez, who has been Real’s starting goalkeeper in the last third of the season, Del Bosque said: “He’s had a terrific season, but keep trusting in Iker, Reina and Valdes. The competition is very high”.

Two other Real Madrid homegrown players have been picked for the squad: Manchester City’s Javi Garcia and Valencia’s Roberto Soldado. However, both are not expected to make it to the final list.

The rest of the squad is completed by: Valdes, Alba, Pique, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, Cesc, Pedro and Villa (Barcelona), Mata, Azpilicueta and Torres (Chelsea), Monreal and Cazorla (Arsenal), Silva (Manchester City), Reina (Liverpool), Navas (Sevilla) and Beñat (Betis).

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Real Madrid left back Marcelo has praised outgoing boss Jose Mourinho for the positive impact he has had on his career.

Speaking after his side’s 3-3 draw with Real Sociedad on Sunday, the 25-year-old Brazilian said Mourinho was a “great coach” who has boosted his career in his time in charge at the Bernabeu.

He also dismissed criticism by many pundits and ex-players suggesting the Portuguese manager’s last season at the club had been a failure.

Marcelo said: “Mourinho is a great coach, he has helped me a lot and I wish him all the happiness in the world wherever he goes.”

He also added the players would continue to fight for the shirt and would come back stronger next season.

“We did not have anything to play for, but for the shirt and for the fans we tried to win and play well,” he stated.

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Incoming Manchester United manager David Moyes is planning a summer move for Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, it has been reported.

According to the Sunday People, Moyes will tell the club’s directors to make an offer in the region of 28 million euros for the former Spurs ace.

The bid from the Premier League champions is expected to put Moyes in conflict with Jose Mourinho, who is believed to be keen to take the Croatian to Stamford Bridge once his own much expected return to west London is officially announced.

United are looking for a replacement for the retiring Paul Scholes, while Brazilian midfielder Anderson is expected to leave Old Trafford this summer.

The Old Trafford side have been long-term admirers of the Croatian midfielder and tried to sign him from Spurs last summer, only to be told by the North London side’s chairman David Levy that he would not be sold to a Premier League rival.

Modric scored the equaliser for Real Madrid in the Champions League tie at Old Trafford before Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner to knock his old side out at the last 16 stage.

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As emphasizes on its front page the fact that Florentino Perez has failed to sign Neymar Da Silva, perhaps the most promising football star at the moment, who has reached a five-year agreement with Barcelona.

The Madrid sports daily compares Perez with Greek mythology character King Midas, showing a picture of every international star he has brought to the Bernabeu when he has been in charge.

From 2000 to 2003, he signed one every year: Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario and David Beckham. And in his second period as president, he signed Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka in 2009.

However, this year, with the elections to be held in just a few days, Perez has not confirmed he has reached any deal with any player.

Madrid newspapers also highlight the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo missed yesterday’s La Liga game against Real Sociedad due to back problems. “Mourinho brought Cristiano to San Sebastian to leave him at the stands”, says As. “Ronaldo left at half time to travel to Portugal”, claims Marca.

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Two times Champions League-winning boss Jupp Heynckes would be happy to return to the Madrid dugout, his agent has said.

The 68-year-old Bayern Munich manager will take charge of his last game at the weekend when his side take on Stuttgart in the German Cup final before Pep Guardiola takes the reigns at the Allianz Arena.

Following Bayern’s 2-1 win against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, he became only the fourth man in history to win the European Cup with two different clubs – he won it in 1998 when he was in charge at the Bernabeu.

Although Carlo Ancelotti remains the favourite to become the new boss after Jose Mourinho leave, there has been increasing speculation Heynckes could be the man to lead Los Blancos in their quest for La Decima.

Speaking to Radio Nacional, Enrique Reyes said his client would be happy to return to the Spanish capital.

He stated: “If Florentino calls us, we would probably accept the offer. At the moment he’s only retiring from the Bundesliga, although right now he’s only thinking about the German cup final.”

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Real Sociedad salvaged a very valuable point with a late Xabi Prieto’s goal that keeps the Basque’s options to qualify for the next Champions League alive.

With just their honour in play, Real Madrid showed a weak version of their game in San Sebastian. Real Sociedad, in their attempt to earn a spot in the Champions League, shot 27 times on target, but collided with an inspired Diego Lopez.

However, Gonzalo Higuain put Los Blancos up in the 6th minute thanks to a terrible mistake by Gonzalez, who gave the ball away allowing the Argentinian to face Bravo and send the ball to the net.

Jose Callejon scored the second for Los Merengues after the break, but Khedira’s handball inside the box allowed Xabi Prieto to slot a penalty and keep Basque hopes alive.

Antoine Griezmann appeared in the back post to pick a fantastic cross by Gonzalez and draw. However, Khedira made up from his previous mistake and put Los Blancos ahead after receiving a great pass from Mesut Ozil.

When Madridistas’ victory seem unavoidable, Xabi Prieto caught a rebound and scored in the 93rd minute to keep Real Sociedad just two points behind Valencia in the race for the 4th place that secures a spot in the Champions League.

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Real Madrid scarves

Real Madrid’s pre-season preparations ahead of the next campaign have become clearer after the final four teams were confirmed for the Guinness International Challenge Cup in July and August.

Premier League sides Chelsea and Everton, Italian giants AC Milan, and La Liga side Valencia have now all confirmed their presence in the US-based tournament.

They join Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Juventus and LA Galaxy – all of whom had already revealed plans to take part in the eight-team tournament.

The tournament begins on July 27 and will take place at a number of venues across the US, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, Indianapolis and New York.

All eight teams will play at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium,, which will play host to a pair of double-headers in August.

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