FOOTBALL UPDATE

Bale has been a long-time target for United but is believed to have turned down moves to Old Trafford twice before. It had been thought, however, that Jose Mourinho was prepared to end his interest in the Wales star, due to the imminent arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal. Don Balon claims that the 29-year-old has told Real that he will be joining Sanchez at Old Trafford, although whether that will be in January or the summer is unclear at this stage.  The former Tottenham attacker has struggled for injuries over the past 12 months and has been rumoured to be part of a dramatic shake-up of the playing and coaching staff at The Bernabeu. Real president Florentino Perez is said to be ready to wield the axe after a disastrous La Liga title defence, with boss Zinedine Zidane and some of the clubs highest profile stars, including top man Cristiano Ronaldo, set to be moved on.  The report goes on to state that Bale has been in secret talks with United over the la...

Cristiano Ronaldo has told his Real Madrid team-mates he wants to return to Manchester United in the summer.  Spanish publication 'AS' reports that the Portuguese has made the decision to leave Real Madrid, with a return to Old Trafford now his priority. Ronaldo looks set to dominate the back pages once again this summer. The aforementioned source claims that the Real Madrid star feels deceived by the club's hierarchy after being promised a new deal that never came to fruition. It claims that Real president Florentino Perez promised the 32-year-old a new contract after 'Los Blancos' defeated Juventus in last season's Champions League final, but over six months on from that triumph, talks are still yet to take place.  Ronaldo has taken matters into his own hands to try to force the issue in recent months, declaring his desire to retire at the Bernabeu whilst also pointing out that ultimately it is not his decision. "If it is possible I would like ...

Real Madrid were once again left frustrated after failing to score despite ample chances in front of goal. The Spanish giants could also feel aggrieved as a disallowed goal and a strong penalty appeal didn't fall in their favour.   Gareth Bale headed in a goal in the 18th minute of the game which was ruled offside by officials, much to the players' protests. Replays show that the call was a lot closer than originally thought, but that it looked like a correct decision nonetheless..  In addition, the Madrid club had a penalty shout for handball against Villarreal's Alvaro shot down by the referee who didn't believe it was intentional, with the defender having little time to react to a deflection off Bale.  Despite these 'injustices', Zidane's players could have easily been two or three goals up if they had been more clinical. They had numerous chances in the first-half with most falling to...

Big decisions are looming at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu that will have ripple effects for the coming years, but none may be as important as the proposed acquisition of Neymar. The five titles in 2017 had the world believing it was only the beginning of years of success, but for many, Real Madrid have now fallen into oblivion. While fans may have their sights set on who Real may acquire this winter window, the club have set them much further. The strategic decisions ahead will not only have to serve their purpose on the pitch, but also economically, a model the club has not changed since 2000. Signs from the team's play this year have been worrying to say the least, and it has become clear that a need for a mega star to reinvigorate the team is crucial. That name is one that all of Real Madrid's supporters have had in mind, as well as the clubs leaders, and it happens to be none other than Neymar. While the club remain steadfast in their search for that level of ...

A Lucas Vazquez brace helped send a very unconvincing Real Madrid to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals after a 2-2 draw in their Round of 16 second leg with second division side Numancia on Wednesday night at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.  The result gave Real a 5-2 win on aggregate after last week's 3-0 first-leg triumph in Soria.Lucas Vazquez's brace was offset by a pair of goals from Numancia striker Guillermo, who came off the bench in the 41st minute for the injured Higinio and bagged himself two goals for the visitors.The result will only increase the criticism that Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has been receiving in recent weeks. Outside of a 20-minute window at the start of the second-half, there was little to feel good about from the Real perspective and extended the side's winless streak to three. Zidane fielded a reserve-heavy starting XI, with Dani Carvajal the only normal starter included after the right-back had been suspended for last Sunda...

Since the start of the 21st century, both Real Madrid and Barcelona have acquired a certain reputation for being prepared to splash the cash when it comes to bringing the right players to the club, with Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodríguez moving to the Bernabeu for exorbitant fees and Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembélé and Neymar making to move to the Camp Nou. Those players are the most expensive acquisitions in the history of each club, with Real spending €101m on Bale, €96m on Ronaldo and €80m on James. Barca, for their part, have spent €120m (plus €40m in add-ons) on their latest recruit, €105 (plus €35m in add-ons) on Dembele and €95m on Neymar, though it's fair to say that the latter repaid his fee and then some. In total, according to figures from 'Transfermarkt', 'Los Blancos' have spent a whopping €1.628bn on transfers in the last 18 years, leaving their arch-rivals lagging behind, with Barca's total spend ammounting to €1.554bn...

Real Madrid want to sign Mohamed Salah in response to Barcelona’s £146 million purchase of Philippe Coutinho.  Barcelona completed their huge money move for Philippe Coutinho and have added a very talented player to their squad to help plug the gap left by Neymar when he left in the summer to join Paris Saint-Germain. Of course, the La Liga giants have done very well this season, leading the pack in Spain by 9 points and ahead of Real Madrid by 16 points. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the current Champions League title holders are keen on sending a message to Barcelona and believe a similar raid on Liverpool to sign Mo Salah would do the trick. The Galacticos are huge admirers of Salah (who isn’t?) and believe the African Player of the Year recipient to be a player worthy of pulling on the white Madrid shirt. Di Marzio writes that “the Spanish club will now try to tempt the Egyptian winger and sign him, as Barcelona did with Coutinho.” If this is tr...

Real Madrid is one that goes back to the time the Belgian joined Chelsea. He has been repeatedly linked with a move to the Bernabeu and neither the player nor Zidane have done much to extinguish said rumours.  Madrid are undergoing their own crisis midway through the season and arguably their top target for the transfer window has turned down two new deals at Stamford Bridge. As revealed by 'Radio Montecarlo', in this critical situation the team is currently in, Real have turned to Hazard and have already begun negotiations with those that surround the 27-year-old. The French outlet also claimed that Chelsea have offered Hazard an extension to his current contract, which ends in 2020, and twice the Belgian has refused to sign. Not even a hike in his current wages to make him the highest earner in the Premier League could convince Hazard, who would earn €17.6 million euros to surpass the salary of Paul Pogba (€17 million). Chelsea had hoped to ...

LA LIGA news is coming thick and fast with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid all looking at strengthening during the January transfer window.   Harry Kane to Real Madrid Harry Kane to Real Madrid could have huge consequences for Manchester United. Don Balon say any move to the Bernabeu for the England star may see Gareth Bale depart. And United, who also want Kane, may benefit. Red Devils want to sign Bale this month. But if Real dig their heels in, Jose Mourinho may have to wait until the summer instead.   Luis Suarez to Liverpool Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is reportedly hopeful of re-signing Luis Suarez from Barcelona. Spanish outlet Diario Gol claim the Reds manager is determined to bring Suarez back. Liverpool are on the lookout for new attackers after selling Philippe Coutinho to Barca for a huge £142million. And though Roberto Firmino has excelled in a no9 role this season, Liverpool want Suarez back to lead the l...

Gareth Bale arguably should have done better early on as he attacked Marcelo’s cross from the left, before Cristiano Ronaldo saw a low effort easily saved by Ruben Blanco in the home goal.  At the other end, Iago Aspas got caught in two minds when played in on the left and opted to look for a pass that wasn’t on, rather than go himself. Aspas went even closer with 13 minutes gone as he side-footed Hugo Mallo’s cross from the right against the near postafter escaping the attentions of Real’s back-line. Both sides looked at their most dangerous on the counter at this point, with Daniel Wass wasting a good chance after being teed up by Maxi Gomez, before Casemiro forced Ruben into a save with a long range strike. What followed can only be described as ‘five minutes of madness’ as Celta took the lead, only to relinquish it in the blink of an eye. First, Celta broke the deadlock thanks to a fine goal from Daniel Wass. The Dane was left all...

Speculation continues to surround the future of Cristiano Ronaldo, but with an eye on the long term, the Real Madrid number seven already knows what he wants to do: make films. The Portugal international remains focused on his footballing career for now, but at 32-years-old, it is normal that he is considering his options for post-retirement."I'd like to make movies, I have my hotels, my gyms, my clothing line with Nike... I see myself as a business man," he told Alessandro del Piero in an interview for Sky Italia, which will be published in January. "Right now I am focused on what I am doing, although clearly I know that sooner or later the moment to retire will come."My life after football will be beautiful, I'm sure, and I don't mean with money, but with pleasure of doing other things. "Ronaldo also reflected on the past, revealing that he had contact with Juventus ahead of a potential move to Italy in 2003, when he instead joined M...