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First injury of the upcoming season already?
According to a report from Carlos Forjanes of AS, Ferland Mendy still hasn’t recovered from this leg injury and has not been able to practice at all during Real Madrid’s preseason work. He could potentially miss the entire preseason and thus, he is now reportedly in doubt for Los Blancos’ 2021-2022 LaLiga season opener, which will be played on the night of Aug. 14 at the Mendizorroza against the notoriously tough Deportivo Alaves.
It remains to be seen what Mendy’s status is, and with an injury like this, things are especially fluid. Yet due to the lingering nature of this injury, which has apparently been troubling Mendy for months, Madridistas should be prepared for the possibility of the left back missing the match.
Varane getting closer to United.
Mohamed Bouhafsi of RMC Sport reported that an agreement has almost contractually been reached between Manchester United and Raphaël Varane. Discussions are advanced between the 2 parties. It does seem like Varane wants to try something new but is also expected to receive a salary that Madrid won’t be able to match. The Red Devils are also apparently close to securing Kieran Trippier.
Confusion regarding Brahim Diaz’s simple loan or buy option as well.
It was believed that Brahim Diaz would be heading to the San Siro for the next two years on a dry loan as reported by Matt Wiltse, however Fabrizio Romano contradicted that in his typical ‘here we go’ tweet, indicating that Milan have a buy option with Madrid retaining a buy-back clause.
| Brahim Diaz to AC Milan, here we go!
— Madrid Xtra. (@MadridXtra) July 15, 2021
Total agreement reached with Real Madrid: loan until June 2023 [€3m fee] + buy option [€22m]. Real will have a buy-back clause for €27m. Done deal and paperworks set to be signed. @FabrizioRomano [ ]
Whatever the agreement it looks like Brahim will not be plying his trade at the Bernabeu next season.
ICYMI: Churros y Tácticas Podcast: Barca’s financial gymnastics; Clasico memories
In this podcast Kiyan Sobhani and Diego Lorijn are back to discuss Barca’s financial options, memories from Barcelona’s 3 - 1 win over Real Madrid in the 2011 Clasico and much more. Give it a listen if you missed it.