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Real Madrid are preparing for their upcoming La Liga tie against Getafe on Saturday (September 2) at the Santiago Bernabeu. Carlo Ancelotti’s team are on a three-game winning run.
Meanwhile, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland’s agent has opened up on his client's move to Los Blancos. Elsewhere, a youth player has been backed to excel with the senior team at the Santiago Bernabeu.
On that note, here's a look at the key Real Madrid transfer stories as on September 1, 2023.
Erling Haaland agent opens up Santiago Bernabeu move
Erling Haaland’s agent Rafaela Pimenta has provided an update on recent reports linking his client to Real Madrid.
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The Norwegian striker has been on exceptional form since joining Manchester City last summer, scoring over 50 goals across competitions. It has been claimed that Haaland has a release clause that would become active next summer. The La Liga giants are apparently keeping a close eye on the 23-year-old and are planning to target him in 2024.
Speaking to El Chiringuito, though, Pimenta remained coy about the Norwegian’s next move.
“The open door can mean a lot of things. Our players can have the feeling that they have their destiny in their hands,” said Pimenta.
Los Blancos could look to unite Haaland with Kylian Mbappe at the Santiago Bernabeu next summer.
Gonzalo Garcia Torres backed to excel with Real Madrid
Real Madrid Castilla head coach Raul has backed Gonzalo Garcia Torres to succeed with the senior team.
The 19-year-old striker has been a revelation with the youth team, registering 35 goals for the under-19s last season. The Spaniard has already been included in Ancelotti’s squad for the season.
Speaking to the press, as cited by Football Espana, Raul was full of praise for his compatriot.
“That is a question for Ancelotti. If he is in the squad and performs at that level, he is more prepared than others as of today. You must follow his development, both him and other teammates. Without a doubt, he was the best player for Castilla by far,” said Raul.
Los Blancos are a bit light in attack following Karim Benzema’s departure and Vinicius' injury, so Torres could be an option for Ancelotti to consider.
Former coach opens up on Jude Bellingham rise
Former England youth team coach Kevin Betsy isn’t surprised at Jude Bellingham’s explosive start in Spanish football.
The English midfielder joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund this summer and has hit the ground running. Betsy reckons the 20-year-old was always destined for greatness.
The Cambridge United coach told AS that Bellingham’s entourage deserves praise for making the right decisions in his career.
“All the clubs in the country already wanted to sign him when he was 12 years old, all of them.
"City, United ... they were prepared to invest a lot of money in him at that age. But Jude and his family made the decision to stay at Birmingham as the ideal club to develop before the next step,” said Betsy.
He continued:
“You have to be very brave to decide like that. You have to have a lot of vision and to do that at that age, when financially it was something with so much impact, it is incredible. This tells you the type of people they are and how they take care of their children’s development.”
Betsy added that Bellingham realised his potential by playing regularly at Birmingham and Borussia Dortmund.
“Going to a big club early doesn’t always work. For Jude, this worked perfectly, just like later in Dortmund. They even went to Carrington to meet with United, but they rejected it because they wanted Jude to keep playing,” said
He concluded:
“In that United, there was Pogba and other great players. Maybe it would have surprised them, but maybe he wouldn’t have played. At Dortmund he was going to play every week, and the next club would be one more step. Like Real Madrid. I am happy to see him in one of the best clubs in the world.”
Bellingham has scored four goals in his opening three games for Los Blancos this season.
