Carlo Ancelotti hoping attacker won't 'betray' Real Madrid amid shock interest from arch-rivals Atletico: Reports 

According to El Nacional, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti hopes that Marco Asensio won't betray the club as a shock interest from arch-rivals Atletico Madrid has emerged for the player.

Asensio had a weak start to the season. With his contract expiring next summer, he looked destined to leave the club on a free transfer.

However, the Spaniard has turned his fortune around excellently and has been in great form in recent times. He was also on the scoresheet as Real Madrid earned a dominating 5-1 victory over Celtic in their final group game of the UEFA Champions League.

Diego Simeone is looking to have a rebuilding operation at Atletico Madrid after their disastrous Champions League campaign. They finished last in their group with only one win and crashed out of the competition.

Asensio has emerged as one of the primary targets for Los Rojiblancos. Ancelotti, however, doesn't want the move to happen as he believes it could yield negative consequences for Real Madrid. The Italian reportedly prefers that Asensio move to a club outside of Spain, if at all he does leave the La Liga champions. The winger reportedly has offers from Serie A and Premier League clubs.

Asesnsio has scored three goals and provided two assists in 14 games this season. Since joining the club back in 2015, he has made 249 appearances for Los Blancos, scoring 52 goals and providing 26 assists.

Asensio has scored several memorable goals for Los Blancos during his career. He has a wand of a left foot and has the ability to find the goal from any distance.

While his form hasn't been great in recent times, there is hardly any doubt about the player's ability. Hence, it's understandable why Ancelotti wouldn't want to give the player away to their direct rivals. Marco Asensio certainly has the quality to prove himself to be a prized asset at any club in the world.

However, he would not be the first Real Madrid player to cross the divide and play for their city rivals. In the current Atletico squad, the likes of Alvaro Morata, Marcos Llorente, Sergio Reguilon, and Mario Hermoso have all played for the Whites in the past.

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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti hailsMarco Asensio as the best player against Celtic

Real Madrid v Celtic FC: Group F - UEFA Champions League

Marco Asensio dazzled throughout Real Madrid's 5-1 home demolition of Celtic on November 2. Carlo Ancelotti heaped praise on the player for his performance as he told the media after the game (via realmadrid.com):

“Marco was the best player today. He played on the wing and linked up well with Valverde, who was playing more open, and with Carvajal. The three players combined really well. Asensio played out wide most of the time. He has all the quality required to make a difference when he’s on the pitch. He was tough, effective on the ball and he worked really hard off the ball”.

The win against Celtic cemented the top spot in Group F for the Madrid club with 13 points from six games.