Arjen Robben speaks on exit from Real Madrid

Former Real Madrid winger Arjen Robben spoke with AS recently about his transfer from Real to Bayern Munich back in 2009.

“Florentino Perez returned as president and then bought Ronaldo and Kaka, Benzema and Xabi Alonso.”

“They spent so much money and told us they needed to make some money with sales.”

“For me it was a shame because I had a very good relationship with Manuel Pellegrini, and maybe I had the best preseason of my career.”

“I found it difficult because of the change of president in Madrid—I really felt very comfortable there and played very well, but when politics comes into play and you don’t have a real chance, you must decide if you want to keep fighting or continue your career elsewhere.”

The transfer worked out quite well for both parties involved. Real Madrid made three of the club’s most important signings this decade in Ronaldo, Benzema, and Alonso. They also got Kaka, who unfortunately never lived up to his Milan days in Madrid due to nagging injuries.

Meanwhile, Robben became one of the key players for Bayern Munich, just now departing after this season.

Robben was a good player for Real but dealt with many injuries of his own that set him back from truly being great. It’s safe to say that transfer is a rare win-win for both clubs outside of just money.

Real Madrid reportedly turn down Valverde transfer to Napoli—MARCA

According to MARCA’s Jose Felix Diaz, Real Madrid reportedly received an offer from Napoli for midfielder Fede Valverde. The report states that Real turned down the offer and Zidane is looking to rely on him as a ready-now prospect for the club.

The report also says that Napoli inquired into James Rodriguez in which Real were willing to negotiate, but the Italian side weren’t thrilled with the asking price for James.

Jose Felix Diaz tends to be quite unreliable regarding transfer rumors. No other source has really confirmed or denied either. The James part seems to be pure speculation as well, his is another convoluted situation.

If true, it’s not shocking that Zidane and the club believe Valverde is a quality prospect. In the brief playtime he received this season, Valverde looked good and has a promising future ahead of him. I doubt they’re willing to give up on him already by transferring him after one season of him returning to the club.

Real Madrid dubbed ‘most valuable club in Europe’—KPMG

According to Swiss auditor KPMG, Real Madrid tops their list of the most valuable clubs in Europe based on enterprise value. The report determines this value based on the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons of “profitability, broadcasting rights, popularity, stadium value and sporting potential.”

The report says the club is worth around €3.2 billion, overtaking Manchester United who held the title previously. The only other Spanish team in the top 10 is Barcelona, ranked 4th, who are worth approximately €2.7 billion.

This is encouraging for the club after the two seasons of European success that are listed in the financial reports. It would be interesting to see what changes would be made taking into account the past 2018-19 season in which Real did not fare so well domestically or internationally.