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Marco Asensio

Spanish wonderkid Marco Asensio has reached an agreement with Real Madrid to join the Santiago Bernabeu club, the player’s agent Horacio Gaggioli has revealed.

The 18-year-old confirmed last week contacts with Los Blancos and Barcelona, and Gaggioli has told Spanish radio station Radio Marca that negotiations with Real have come to a good end.

The player, now at second division side Mallorca, would move to Madrid in a 3.5-million euros deal. Asensio will stay at his life club until the end of the season and will complete the move next summer.

The young playmaker will not join Real Madrid Castilla, as he has requested during the negotiations. Instead, he will sign a first-team contract and will leave on loan to a first division side.

Asensio has impressed this season in his 13 appearances for Mallorca. He has lead the team’s comeback in the league scoring three goals and providing five assists. He was named player of the month of October in the Spanish second division.

Barcelona also made a bid for the Palma-born midfielder, but Los Blancos offer proved to be better.

Real Madrid have secured the signing of one of the most talented under-21 players in Spain. He’s also the captain of the Spanish national under-19 football team.

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Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez has said Los Blancos will always be in his heart and he would love to return to the club one day.

The 33-year-old shot stopper left the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer for Italian giants AC Milan after spending 18 months in the Spanish capital. Signed by Jose Mourinho, it was an eventful time for Lopez, who dislodged club captain Iker Casillas from the starting eleven, causing much debate among fans and in the press.

After Mourinho left, it was expected Casillas would win his place back in the side, but Ancelotti stuck with Lopez in goal in La Liga and used Casillas in the Copa del Rey and Champions League last season – two trophies Los Blancos ended up winning.

Speaking to Onda Cero about his time in Italy so far, Lopez said he is happy but looks back on his time with Los Blancos.

“I am very happy and very content. Things are going well individually. I was very happy in Madrid, where I had a fantastic year-and-a-half,” he stated.

“Madrid is a club I will always have in my heart. I hope when I retire I can return as an employee,” he went on to say.

 

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Real Madrid are set to play in Australia as part of their pre-season preparations next year, it has been confirmed.

The 10-time European Cup winners will take part in a mini-tournament at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground between July 18 and 24, along with a yet unnamed Italian and English club.

Speculation in the press suggests the teams Los Blancos will face are likely to be Manchester City and Inter Milan. City have close ties with Melbourne City FC, who play in the A-League and are under the same ownership as the Manchester-based side.

Damian Drum, sports minister for Victoria, revealed news of Real Madrid’s participation in the tournament and said fans Down Under would be thrilled to see the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez play in their country. The tournament is likely to bring in 50 million Australian dollars to the local economy, Drum added.

Shortly after the announcement, Australian media asked John Aloisi, the former Osasuna and Alaves striker what he thought of the news. And the ex-Socceroos man said fans would be thrilled.

“I got to play in Spain for six years and experience how big Real Madrid were,” he said.

“They buy the biggest players in the world and make it work. Watching them live is another experience. I can’t wait.”

 

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Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has revealed he is in talks with the club over a contact extension.

The Italian manager wrote himself into Madrid folklore in his first season in charge, being the man to lead the club to their 10th Champions League success as Los Blancos defeated city rivals Atletico de Madrid in Lisbon.

He also master-minded victory in the Copa del Rey final with a thrilling win over Barcelona in Valencia in April.

Despite losing two of their opening three games in La Liga at the start of this campaign, and losing the Spanish Super Copa, Ancelotti picked up his third trophy as Real boss in August with the European Super Cup success over Sevilla. Los Blancos are currently on a 14-match winning run and sit top of the table.

Speaking to Italian paper La Repubblica, Ancelotti revealed his is already in talks with the club over extending his deal, which runs until 2016. He added that should he return to manage in Seria A again, it would only be to his beloved AC Milan.

“I hope not to [just] be remembered because of La Decima. My contract ends in 2016 and we’re already talking about an extension,” he said.

And he added: “If sooner or later I was to return to Italy, it would only be to Milan. The league has little charm, it does not attract the champions [best players]. The stadiums and infrastructure are the main problem. It is worrying. All countries are making progress, but we [Italy] are static.”

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Jose Mourinho signing for Chelsea

Former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has slammed Sergio Ramos for comments he made about Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas’ absence from the Spain squad for the recent internationals.

The Chelsea duo were reportedly injured and unavailable to represent their country but made full recoveries in time to play for the Blues against West Brom in the Premier League at the weekend. Ramos has questioned how genuine the injuries were.

And responded to the Spain defender, Mourninho said he was unaware Ramos has become a doctor since he left the Santiago Bernabeu.

“Since I’ve known Sergio Ramos he has been a fantastic football player, but he is not a doctor. He is not a doctor and I am the same. I do my job the best I can but I am not a doctor,” the Portuguese said.

The Chelsea boss, who failed to win the Champions League in his time as manager of Los Blancos, added: “My doctor and the doctor of the Spanish national team, they had the scans and they decided that the player was not in the condition to play. I am nobody to go against it and I don’t think Sergio did a medicine Masters in the last couple of years to understand about it.

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Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has revealed his club turned down a bid from Real Madrid for his services.

The 24-year-old was strongly linked with a move to the Spanish capital a couple of years ago before he was struck by a number of injuries that would keep him out of the game for 14 months. At the time, Los Blancos were looking for a successor to Xabi Alonso, who was entering the autumn of his career, and wanted a similar player to slot into midfield.

In the end, they signing Asier Illarramendi from Real Sociedad, and this year added to their ranks by signing German World Cup winner Toni Kroos.

But speaking to a newspaper in Turkey, Gundogan, who has Turkish origins, said the story could have been so different.

“Real Madrid made an offer for me but my club refused it,” Gundogan said. “At the time I had two more seasons on my contract. But also, my injury wrecked everything. I couldn’t play for 14 months.”

He went on to add that he still harbours wishes of playing abroad one day, and would like to move to either England or Spain.

“Now I want to look forward and make up for lost time with sporting success,” he stated. “Playing outside Germany is one of my big goals. If one day I leave here, I’d like to play in Spain or for one of the big teams in England.”

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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said youngster Jese Rodriguez will not be leaving the club on loan in January.

The forward has spent the last seven months on the sidelines recovering from a serious knee injury and is expected to be ready for a return soon to first team action. And the Italian boss has ruled out send Jese on loan for a short period to build up his match fitness.

Speaking to the press ahead of the side’s game with Eibar, Ancelotti said the 22-year-old would be going nowhere, despite the fact he’ll have to fight for his place with Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and new-boy Javier Hernandez.

“We aren’t considering loaning Jesé out, and that’s it. He’s training with the team, has started taking part in games with his teammates, as well as full training sessions. He lacks a certain fitness having been out for so long. We’ll be able to play him inside a month”, he stated.
Jese made a great impression for his club last season putting in some eye-catching displays when filling in for the normal front three. He was even being mentioned as a possible call-up for the Spanish World Cup squad until he picked up his injury in the Champions League game against Schalke.

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Former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has said Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player he has ever played with.

The now Bayern Munich man left the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer to join the Bavarian giants after spending five years playing alongside the Portugal captain. In their time at the club, the pair helped the team win a host of trophies, with the highlight being the Champions League win in May – the club’s 10th European crown.

As the debate rages over who is more deserving of the Ballon d’Or, Alonso is one of the best placed to comment on the award. He’s played alongside Ronaldo in the peak years of his career, and now plays alongside many of the German players to won the World Cup in the summer.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the 33-year-old midfielder said: “I said recently if Manuel Neuer or another German player won the Ballon d’Or, it would be fair as they won the World Cup.

“But if Ronaldo wins it again, it would also be fair for the season he had, winning the Champions League. He is the best player I have played with.”

He also told the tabloid paper that he had actually intended to stay in Madrid until he heard Pep Guardiola wanted to sign him.

“My idea was to stay in Madrid.Then, when I heard of Munich’s interest I said ‘Xabi, think what you want and where you will be happy. I had been at Madrid for five years. We had won the 10th European Cup, we had been chasing it for a long time and it felt like the business was done.

“It was either a case of continuing for a few more years in Madrid or trying something different. Having experienced La Liga and the Premier League, it was a great chance to come here,” he explained.

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Real Madrid left back Marcelo has said many people are envious of Cristiano Ronaldo and all his achievements, but his success is simply down to hard work.

The 29-year-old netted twice in the 4-0 win over Eibar on Saturday to help Los Blancos to the 14th win in a row in all competitions. In yet another remarkable season for the Ballon d’Or holder, Ronaldo has now scored 20 goals in just 12 La Liga outings, a new league record.

Speaking after the game, Marcelo paid tribute to Ronaldo and said he’s a top professional with huge desire to do well in every game.

“A lot of people are envious about what he has achieved and about what he can accomplish. Cristiano always works hard, he’s a top professional with a huge desire to learn and help the team,” the Brazilian stated.

He added that the players had to fight for the three points and were happy with the win.

“Ipurua is a very difficult and very tough ground to come to, but we made a really good start to the match. The team fought hard and ran a lot. We came back from the international matches a little bit tired and it’s difficult, but we’re in good shape and we did well. We have to improve a few things, but we have to carry on in this vein.”

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Former Real Madrid and Brazil striker Ronaldo has tipped Cristiano to win the Ballon d’Or for the second consecutive season.

The 29-year-old is the favourite for the award, which will be presented at a FIFA ceremony in Switzerland in January, having once again had another outstanding calendar year.

The Portugal captain scored more than 50 club goals last season, for the fourth year in a row, as Los Blancos won the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. The win in Lisbon ended the 12-year wait for La Decima, and Ronaldo set a new record in the competition – his 18 goals in all surpassing the previous best for the most goals in a single campaign held by Leo Messi.

A clearly injured Cristiano did his best to carry Portugal through the World Cup, but they crashed out early, Now recovered, he has taken his goalscoring feats to a new level and has netted 23 goals in just 17 games so far this season, spurring Los Blancos on to a 13-match winning run.

Speaking to journalists at a media event, Ronaldo said he believes Cristiano is deserving of the award once more. And he added compatriot Neymar will one day go on to win the prize.

“Cristiano should win Ballon d’Or 2014. I hope to see Neymar end up top three in Ballon D’or this year. His talent is sensational and he deserves recognition,” he stated.

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