Real Madrid begins a new era post-Benzema with eyes set on LaLiga title

Real Madrid is embarking on a new chapter following the departure of French striker Karim Benzema this summer, as he joins the Saudi Arabian league, seeking to reclaim the Spanish football league title from its rival Barcelona. The giant club is gearing up for the upcoming season set to kick off this weekend.

The new season for Real Madrid commences on Saturday in the Basque Country, where they will face Athletic Bilbao amid ongoing speculation about Kylian Mbappé. The French forward was excluded from the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) squad due to his refusal to extend his contract or transfer to another team this summer. This move gives PSG the opportunity to secure compensation rather than losing the 2018 World Cup champion and top scorer of the 2022 edition for free next summer when his contract expires.

The newspaper "Le Parisien" reported last week that Real Madrid is ready to intervene and resolve the crisis by making an offer to acquire Mbappé this summer, rather than waiting for a year to secure him without a fee.

According to the newspaper, PSG's Qatari president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, does not intend to backtrack on his decision to exclude Mbappé either for renewal or approval of a departure this summer.

The newspaper added that Real Madrid may present an official offer to sign Mbappé before August 15th, just a couple of weeks before the summer transfer window closes. This strategic move aims to pressure PSG and compel them to agree without excessive financial demands.

PSG is concerned that the 24-year-old might reach an agreement to move to Real Madrid on a free transfer, with a substantial signing bonus. If this occurs, the Spanish capital club would save a significant amount and would not need to pay any fee to the "Ligue 1" champion in June 2024.

Talk about Mbappé's desire or even a secret agreement with Real Madrid arises approximately a year after he ignored the Spanish club's efforts, opting for a surprise contract extension in May 2022, binding him to "Parc des Princes" for an additional two seasons.

When asked about Mbappé, Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, who is entering his final season with the team before moving to oversee the Brazilian national team, was clear in his response last month, stating, "He is not a player for Madrid. It doesn't seem right to talk about players who are not here (with Real)."

Vinicius Takes Center Stage -
As the resolution of the Mbappé situation unfolds, Real Madrid has been working to fill the void left by Benzema's departure after 14 seasons wearing the royal club's jersey, during which he scored 354 goals in 648 matches.

In an effort to close the ten-point gap that separated them from champions Barcelona, Real Madrid has spent €103 million so far to acquire English winger Jude Bellingham and promising Turkish talent Arda Gürler.

For now, Brazilian Vinicius Junior remains the focal point in the attack for Ancelotti's team. The coach spoke about his plans to compensate for Benzema's absence, stating that he aims to utilize the attacking capabilities of newcomers Bellingham and Gürler.

He added, "For me, the team has improved. We lost Karim, a player who was central for years... a legend of the club. But we have a very young group, and we are convinced that it will give us a lot of satisfaction."

Despite securing the title quite comfortably, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez expressed doubts about his team's capabilities, especially with the potential loss of a player like Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé, who is rumored to be moving to PSG.

Xavi stated, "I think Madrid (Real) has a bigger team than us (in terms of options)... They have numerous players in the midfield, and they possess physical and technical strength as well as a wide range of choices."

"We Need to Find This Piece" -
Amid financial constraints, Barcelona focused on signing experienced players like defender Iñigo Martínez, who joined on a free transfer after his contract with Athletic Bilbao expired.

They also secured the services of German midfielder Ilkay Gündogan on a free transfer after his contract with English champions Manchester City ended, as well as Oriol Romeu from Girona for just €3.40 million. Romeu returned to the club that he left in the summer of 2011.

Xavi expressed concern about the void left by Sergio Busquets, saying, "He was a very important player for us, whether on or off the field... We need to find a very important player to replace Busquets. We need to find this missing piece if we want to compete well."

After finishing third, just one point behind their city rivals Real, Atlético Madrid hopes that bolstering its defense will help them contend for the title. They signed defenders César Azpilicueta, Turkish talent Çağlar Söyüncü, and Javier Galán. Additionally, Portuguese midfielder João Félix, who became the club's most expensive signing in 2019, is part of Diego Simeone's plans after his less successful loan spell at Chelsea.

As for Real Sociedad, who finished fourth last season and secured the fourth Champions League spot, they acquired Portuguese striker André Silva on loan to fill the void left by the retirement of David Silva due to a serious knee injury.

Villarreal, who finished fifth last season, seems to be in the process of rebuilding the team after losing Senegalese striker Nicaulas Jackson and Boau Torres, as well as Nigerian Samuel Chukwueze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP