Open Thread: January 6, 2021.

Hola Madridistas!

The Open Thread/Daily Merengue is a place where you can discuss anything and everything related to football. Feel free to discuss the topics presented here, or start your very own discussions! The Open thread will be posted every day by one of the mods: Valyrian Steel, Felipejack, YoSnail or Oscnar.

Back To Training!

The battle for the La Liga title resumed Tuesday at the Valdevabas after several days rest since defeating Celta 2-0. The next match is against Osasuna on Saturday at 9:00 PM local time, meaning there is a good opportunity for the team to recover and work on retaining peak fitness. When the squad moved outside, Dani Carvajal and Rodrygo remained inside to use the facilities. Here’s a video of that session from Real Madrid’s twitter:

Photos of the session:

Photo by Helios de la Rubia/Real Madrid via Getty Images

Photo by Helios de la Rubia/Real Madrid via Getty Images

The Latest on Real Madrid’s Contract Renewals

A report on Marca is stating that nothing has been reached between club management and captain Sergio Ramos:

Sergio Ramos and Real Madrid are still a long way away in their negotiations for the captain’s contract extension.

The defender and Florentino Perez haven’t been able to come to an agreement, and Saturday’s meeting at Valdebebas has led to a lot of tension. The pair had unsuccessful discussions prior to the game against Celta Vigo, and again met in the tunnel just before the players stepped onto the pitch.

A one-year offer is on the table with no change to his salary, but Ramos is still pushing for two years, and for the salary reduction not to be included, as he wants that to be discussed rather than implemented without his say.

https://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2021/01/05/5ff4e63d46163f5b0e8b45d6.html

AS claims that the tension between Florentino Perez and Ramos has circulated to the captain’s brother, René, who retweeted an article critical of the Real Madrid president:

There has been a history of disagreements between the pair (the tense renewal in 2015 with Manchester United lurking and the supposed offer from China in 2019) that have undoubtedly left scars. But this time things have gone further than they have in the past.

Amid the current contract impasse, Ramos is now free to negotiate with other clubs, a precedent never before reached, and could walk away free of charge come 1 July. The situation has become so tense that it prompted Ramos’ agent and brother, René Ramos, to retweet a post by journalist Alfredo Duro, which openly criticised Real Madrid’s approach to the current talks.

https://en.as.com/en/2021/01/05/football/1609847675_259196.html