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Gonzalo Higuain has reached an agreement to sign for Juventus, according to Italian sports daily La Gazzetta Dello Sport, and is awaiting for the two clubs to agree a fee.

The Argentinean forward is reportedly set to sign a contract worth 4.5 million euros a year plus bonuses, one million more than what he makes at Real.

Juventus representatives Giuseppe Moratta and Fabio Paratici are in Madrid negotiating Higuain’s transfer. They initially offered 22 million euros, but Los Blancos directors requested 30m.

The deal is expected to be close between 25 and 27 million, since both parties are willing to collaborate. Higuain will sign a four year contract with the Italian club.

During the conversations, Real Madrid have asked about the situation of Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal, who is one of Carlo Ancelotti’s favourites, but Juve directors replied he is not on sale.

Juventus have already signed Fernando Llorente for their front line and are willing to form a very competitive squad to take a step forward in next year’s Champions League.

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Arsenal could make a move for Real Madrid’s French striker Karim Benzema after being priced out of the market for Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic, it has been reported.

The International Business Times said Fiorentina would demand €27.6 million for the Montenegrin, forcing Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger to look elsewhere as he aims to bolster his strikeforce ahead of the Champions League next season.

And one of his targets could be Benzema, who has scored 10 goals and provided 10 assists in 29 league games so far this year.

Wenger has long been an admirer of his compatriot having tried to sign him from Lyon before he arrived in Madrid. He was also rumoured to be keen on taking him to the Emirates last summer.

The Gunners have also been linked in recent weeks with another of Real’s forwards, Gonzalo Higuain, although the Argentinean is believed to be close to agreeing a deal with Italian champions Juventus.

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Real Madrid has officially announced that Jose Mourinho will not continue coaching Los Blancos next season. Thus, the race to replace the Portuguese in the Bernabeu’s hotseat has started, and the next boss will become part of a long list of managers to have coached Real, a list that was started by Arthur Johnson.

The Englishman was the first manager that Real Madrid had. He assumed the role in 1910, having played for Los Merengues for eight years. In fact, Johnson is etched into the club’s history after scoring the first goal for the Madridistas in a Clasico against Barcelona, on May 13th 1913.

Heraldo del Sport, a sports newspaper of that time, published “The Instructions for the Good Development of Football”, in which Johnson made his ideas clear in four points:

  1. A match shouldn’t start until each team had chosen its respective boss, so he can order and distribute his men over the field as he found it convenient. This rule would prevent the excessive talk and discussions that currently exist.
  2. Players should always play in the same position and never change with each other. The main advantage of this measure is that every player would know the role of his team mates and thus could help him in a situation of danger. The system used at the moment with players switching positions constantly is not football.
  3. Players should use more ingenuity and agility in bringing the ball back into play when it goes off the pitch. Should this be done, if would be enough to complete a match within an hour or an hour and a half instead of the two or three hours that games last at the moment and that mainly consist of talking and smoking.
  4. More attention should be given to playing as a team because at the moment this is conspicuous by its absence.

Following these guidelines, Johnson was manager of Real Madrid for ten years. In fact, only Miguel Muñoz was manager of the Madridistas for a longer period. The British manager finished that decade having won four regional titles and the first Cup of Spain against Athletic de Bilbao.

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Real Madrid will try and persuade Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes to take over as manager at the Bernabeu rather than retire after the Champions League final, according to reports.

The 68-year-old has previously said the Wembley final on Saturday will be the last match in charge in his managerial career, which has spanned more than three decades.

If Bayern Munich win, Heynckes will become only the fourth manager in history to win the European Cup at different clubs following in the footsteps of Jose Mourinho, Ottmar Hitzfeld and Ernst Happel.

The Telegraph reported Madrid are hopeful of persuading Heynckes to take on one last challenge before retiring  and of bringing him back to the club he managed between 1997-1998. He won the Champions League with Real Madrid in his time in charge of Los Blancos.

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Sergio Ramos has said he hopes Gareth Bale becomes his team mate at the Bernabeu next season as he sees the Welshman fitting into the Los Blancos side perfectly.

Speculation surrounding the 23-year-old’s future at Spurs has increased following the team’s failure to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Press reports suggest there will be no shortage of takers should Bale decide to leave the White Hart Lane outfit to pursue his Champions League dream, with Manchester United, Manchester City and Barcelona among the reported admirers.

But the Sun quoted Ramos as saying Madrid would be the ideal place for Bale to move to.

He said: “Gareth Bale is a Real Madrid-quality signing. He has had an exceptional season. He can punish any team in the world and has the footballing qualities we look for in Madrid.

“I am sure Madrid will not be the only team that want to sign him – but he is the right mould for us.”

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Madrid two main sports newspapers put their focus on the possible arrival of Malaga’s midfielder Isco in the summer.

“Isco will be the first one”, says Marca. “Real is negotiating for Isco and for Cavani”, claims As.

“Los Blancos believe they can include several players in the deal to reduce the starting 35 million euros price”, Marca adds. “It has been reported Real has offered 20 million and Callejon, but Malaga wants Morata”, they point out.

As maintains that Ancelotti has asked Los Blancos directors to sign Napoles’ forward as a replacement for Gonzalo Higuain, who could be very close to signing for Juventus.

Marca claims that Real is also interested in Juventus’ centre half Arturo Vidal. “Ancelotti has recommended the signing of the Chilean”, they say.

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Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez may have a challenger at the club elections in June after the leader of a fan group expressed his interest in leading Los Blancos.

Eugenio Martinez Bravo, who heads up the Plataforma Blanca, told As newspaper he was interested in running at the elections, but currently lacked the funds to do so.

As well as announcing Jose Mourinho will leave the club at the end of the season, Perez revealed in Monday’s press conference that elections would take place on June 16.

There are currently no other candidates ready to stand in the election. Criticism of Perez has grown in recent weeks over his handling of the club, while fans would like to see more candidates step up to see alternative ideas for what the future of Los Blancos may hold.

In order to stand at elections, candidates must have been a socio at Real Madrid for more than 20 years and provide a deposit of 15% of the club’s annual budget – set at €76 million this year.

Martinez Bravo fulfils the first part having been a socio for more than three decades, but admitted he would struggle to find the funds.

He stated: “We do not want to create false expectations because there is the thing called the deposit and it is very difficult to achieve. Florentino has set the deposit of €75 million to perpetuate himself as president of Real Madrid.”

Speaking of his vision for the club, he revealed he would like more club legends from down the years take on bigger roles.

“My project is pure madridismo. It is about bringing back the permanent fixtures of Real Madrid, Hierro, Raul, Santillana, Pirri. I would love to call Raul as president and ask him if he wanted to return,” he said.

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Ramon Calderon, the former president of Real Madrid, has said Jose Mourinho’s three-year reign at the Bernabeu has been a failure.

The Portuguese is set to leave at the end of the current campaign having won the Copa del Rey, La Liga and the Spanish Supercopa during his time in charge.

But the 50-year-old is just as likely to be remembered  for his failure to land the coveted Decima Champions League for Los Blancos, as well as his numerous run ins with opposition managers, officials, and even his own players.

Speaking to Sky Sport’s Revista de la Liga, Calderon said Mourinho’s trophy-winning record was the worst of any Real Madrid manager who has been in charge of the team for three years or more.

But he was particularly scathing about the manager’s behaviour at times.

He stated: “What I really don’t like and what many followers of Real Madrid don’t like is the way he has behaved.

“I don’t know what he did in England but his behaviour in Spain wasn’t compatible with Real Madrid’s history. We have a part of our hymn which says ‘when we lose, we shake hands’ – we don’t poke fingers in eyes, which is what he did to Tito Vilanova.”

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Madrid sports daily As claims that Florentino Perez will have to pay 7.5 million euros to Paris Saint Germain in order to sign Carlo Ancelotti as the new Los Blancos manager.

“The Italian coach wants to come to Madrid and is urging PSG to negotiate”, As says. Marca highlights that Ancelotti has declared: “I am still waiting”.

As also points out that, although PSG’s owner Nasser Al-Kheilafi could be open to starting talks for Ancelotti’s transfer, he will not let Marco Verratti go. He has also been linked with a summer move to Real.

Marca fills its home page with coverage of what they claim will be Perez’s plan for the future Real Madrid. This plan would include signing Robert Lewandowski, Isco, Neymar, Gareth Bale, Daniel Carvajal and Casemiro, current Castilla’s midfielder on loan from Sao Paulo.

Marca specifies that Isco would only arrive if Modric leaves and that Castilla’s star Jese would be sold to Bayer Leverkusen with a buy-back clause, just like Carvajal.

The Madrid paper reports that Real has already received offers for Higuain, Di Maria, Modric and Coentrao.

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Real Madrid have joined the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea in the race to sign Malaga playmaker Isco, according to reports.

The youngster has had a sensational season on the south coast of Spain as his side enjoyed a Champions League adventure before being knocked out by Borussia Dortmund.

According to TalkSport Radio, Manuel Pellegrini’s departure from the club along with the ongoing financial problems at Malaga mean it could be a summer of upheaval.

And Madrid look ready to pounce for the 21-year-old after Florentino Perez sanctioned an offer for the player as part of his plan to overhaul the squad when Jose Mourinho leaves in June.

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