Right-back is a position that Real Madrid will address over the next 12-18 months, but their plans to sign one of their targets look to have taken a hit as he is about to pen a new contract at his current club.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is Real Madrid’s dream target, and while a deal to bring him in from Liverpool is very close to completion, he may not be the only right-back that is signed in the coming years – especially as both Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez will need to be replaced, with both players coming to the end of their respective playing careers.

And should another right-back, one of the options that Real Madrid have been studying is Juanlu Sanchez. The 21-year-old has been tracked by club officials for well over a year, during which he has showed his class for Sevilla as both a defender and midfielder.

Like with Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid had hoped to pick up Juanlu as a free agent upon the expiry of his contract in 2026. However, that will no longer be possible, with ED reporting that he has agreed a new deal with Sevilla that will see him remain at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan until the end of the 2028-29 season.

As part of his new contract, Juanlu’s release clause will also increase. It currently stands at €20m, but upon the agreement being finalised, it will double to €40m, making it even more difficult for Real Madrid to sign him.

It would be very difficult to see Real Madrid make a move for Juanlu now, unless he drastically increases his level further to the point that his €40m release clause would be considered a bargain. That could certainly happen over the coming years, so there is little doubt that Los Blancos officials will continue following him.

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This summer, Tottenham Hotspur will almost certainly be shopping in the La Liga market, given that they have an enticing clause that allows them to sign Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso for a reduced price, which was agreed upon last August as part of the deal that saw Giovani Lo Celso return to Los Verdiblancos.

In recent weeks, it has been reported that Spurs will look to trigger the clause that they have for Cardoso, as they see the American defensive midfielder as a player that adds value to their first team squad. However, it is not guaranteed that a deal takes place even if this happens, as the player himself is showing no signs of wanting a move away.

Earlier this week, Cardoso spoke to El Chiringuito (via ED) on his desire to remain at Betis for a while yet, and he is also desperate to secure Champions League qualification – which is something that Spurs can only do if they win this season’s Europa League.

“I’m very happy here and I hope I can continue to enjoy myself at Betis for many years. Qualifying for the Champions League? It is our dream and our goal.”

It has been reported in recent weeks that Betis expect Cardoso to leave, which is why they have started to look at possible replacements. However, these quotes should give them hope that Spurs’ interest will be staved off during the summer transfer window, which would be magnificent news.

Cardoso has been an excellent player for Betis since his arrival from Internacional back in the winter of 2024. He has nailed down a starting spot under head coach Manuel Pellegrini, which would make his departure all the more painful were it to happen. But for now, there are chances for him to remain at the Benito Villamarin.

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Atletico Madrid spent big last summer, but despite this, there are still significant problems in Diego Simeone’s squad – but their hope is that these can be addressed during the upcoming transfer window.

Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semi-final second leg defeat to Barcelona saw Simeone trial son Giuliano Simeone as a left-sided midfielder, while Reinildo Mandava was preferred to Javi Galan at left-back. However, neither player was able to impress, and in the end, they were both substituted at half time.

The left side has been a problem area for Atleti in recent months, with none of the players that play there having been able to tie down a regular starting spot. Galan, Reinildo, Samuel Lino and Conor Gallagher have regularly been deployed there, but their underwhelming performances have led the club to prioritise addressing both positions during the summer transfer window, as per Diario AS.

It has already been decided that Atleti will aim to sign a new left-back, which does not bode well for Reinildo as he is out of contract at the end of the season. Furthermore, the intention is to make a summer move for Alex Baena, who is considered to be the ideal player to fix the problems in left midfield.

Atleti have already started making preparations for a summer move for Baena, who will be allowed to leave Villarreal this summer – as long as their valuation is met. However, they are expected to face strong competitions from clubs in the Premier League, which will complicate their efforts to bring the playmaker to the Metropolitano.

It remains to be seen who Atleti go for at left-back. They have been linked with Benfica’s Alvaro Carreras in recent weeks, although he is likely to be outside of their price range, especially since Baena will be targeted.

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Barcelona are facing major financial problems ahead of the summer after their €100m VIP seats sale was excluded from consideration by La Liga. They had hoped for a productive summer after returning to La Liga’s 1:1 rule in January, but as things stand, they are now back outside of this going into the next transfer window.

These developments in the last few days will have a significant impact on Barcelona’s business, given that their salary limit has been reduced. New deals for Wojciech Szczesny and Lamine Yamal are likely to be postponed until a major sale happens, as has been reported by Relevo.

This sale will be needed to ensure that Barcelona can operate relatively normally during the summer transfer window, and according to the report, the favourite to be moved on by the Catalan side is Ronald Araujo.

Back in January, Araujo appeared destined to leave Barcelona before a dramatic U-turn saw him sign a new contract. However, that agreement included a significant reduction on his release clause, which is now reported to be worth €65m. And the Catalans are hoping that this is triggered in the summer, as it would allow them some financial normality for the rest of the transfer window.

Araujo had been tipped as a player that would become a pillar at Barcelona for many years to come, but this season, he has lot significant prominence. He is not a regular starter for head coach Hansi Flick, with Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez being the preferred centre-back partnership for the German head coach.

It will be interesting to see whether Araujo is moved on by Barcelona in the summer. At this stage, it would be a big blow for him to depart as there is no obvious successor at the club, unless it is believed that Eric Garcia can make the step up.

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Irish FA director of women’s football Angela Platt believes Northern Ireland will be huge winners when the United Kingdom hosts the 2035 Women’s World Cup.

Sevilla have already started their squad planning for next season, and they are expected to add an exciting winger to their first team squad during the summer transfer window – that being Celta Vigo’s Alfon Gonzalez.

Outside of Dodi Lukebakio, Sevilla have struggled in attack this season, and that problem will be addressed by sporting director Victor Orta ahead of the 2025-26 campaign kicking off in August. And already, moves appear to have been made, with Faro de Vigo (via ED) reporting that an agreement is in place for Alfon to head to the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan from the 1st of July.

This season is Alfon’s first in the Celta first team, and he has enjoyed good form. He has found the back of the net on six occasions across all competitions, with three of those goals coming in La Liga – two of them have been in recent weeks against Leganes and Las Palmas.

According to the report, Celta officials are resigned to losing Alfon. Sevilla have offered him a salary much higher that the one he currently earns at Balaidos, and because of this, it is taken for granted that he can signed a pre-contract agreement with Los Nervionenses, meaning that he will make the move upon the expiry of his current deal at the end of June.

Sevilla have been following Alfon for a while, and in recent weeks, they made their move to bring him to the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan. It appears that this has been successful, and the 25-year-old is set to join up with Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta’s squad for the start of next season.

It is a big blow for Celta to lose Alfon for free, and it could be the first of several departures at the clud. Oscar Mingueza, who has spoken on his future in recent months, has been strongly linked with a move away, which would be certain if he also did not sign a new deal before the end of the season.

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In recent months, Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer applied to trademark the “cold” celebration that he does after scoring, but this move has been criticised by Valencia winger Diego Lopez, who claims to have been doing the action for considerably longer than the England international.

It was back in December that Palmer applied to the European Union Intellectual Property Office to trademark the celebration, following in the footsteps of England teammate Jude Bellingham. At that time, Lopez commented on the matter, and he has done so again during a recent interview, as per Relevo.

“I haven’t received the receipt yet… I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t have my address, because they haven’t given it to him or why. If you want, I can explain that I have been doing this celebration for four years and I will continue to do it. In fact, I hope to do it more often because it will mean that I have scored a lot of goals.”

Lopez has scored four goals in his last four appearances for Valencia, and on each occasion, he has brought out the “cold” celebration. He has been in sparkling form for Los Che in recent weeks, and it has been much needed considering that they are firmly embroiled in the relegation dogfight in La Liga.

It remains to be seen whether Lopez is contacted by Palmer for “copying” his celebration, but the 22-year-old winger is adamant that he has the right to do the “cold” act considering that he did it before the Englishman gained prominence at Manchester City and then Chelsea. For now, the Spain youth international is focused on ending the season on a high with Valencia, with the ideal scenario being Los Che retaining their status as a La Liga club.

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Barcelona manager Hansi Flick believes he has got to the bottom of the leaks at the club. The Blaugrana were a constant source of news and dressing room stories last season under Xavi Hernandez, but German manager appears to have calmed that trend.

That in no small part is down to the good atmosphere at the club, and the strong results that Flick has been obtaining since he took charge in Catalonia. However he feels he has found a way of putting an end to the stories coming out of the dressing room.

El señorito Flick ha cerrado el comedor del primer equipo en la ciudad deportiva. Ni médicos ni responsables de prensa pueden entrar, incluso ha vetado a algunos en desplazamientos y no vuelven con el equipo.
El mister está convencido que son responsables de algunas filtraciones.

— La portera de Núñez (@porteranunez) April 2, 2025

According La Portera de Nunez, Flick has now banned the medical staff and the press officers from the training ground dining room while the first team is eating there. Some have even been taken off away trips with the team, and Flick is convinced that amongst those two departments were the source of the leaks.

Breaking: Dani Olmo’s recovery is going very well. There’s optimism in the dressing room that he can play the second leg against Borussia Dortmund on April 15th. @ClubMitjanit

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 3, 2025

This is a story that is backed up by information from Radio Catalunya, who say that although the President Joan Laporta and Sporting Director Deco are still allowed to enter, Flick has sectioned off the space for the players.

Certainly it has been notable the change between this season and last, where almost hourly updates appeared to emerge from the club. There were reports that Xavi had even gone through the phones of some of his staff in order to try and root out the leak, but that was strenuously denied by Xavi, who took legal action for libel against the journalist in question.

Flick has also been praised for his handling of the press and the ‘entorno’ surrounding Barcelona, shifting the focus back towards football despite numerous off the pitch issues still hampering the club. Part of that has been a much more austere approach with his press conferences, which have been conducted exclusively in English, where Flick has generally avoided giving long answers, or getting into more detail than necessary.

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Arsenal are planning to sign a new goalkeeper this summer, and their intention is to sign a player that they missed out on 12 months prior – that being Espanyol’s Joan Garcia.

Last summer, Arsenal were also in the market for a goalkeeper, as they aimed to replace the outgoing Aaron Ramsdale. They made a move for Garcia late in the transfer window, and by that point, Espanyol had made it clear that a deal would only be possible if the 23-year-old’s release clause was paid. As such, the operation failed to materialise, although that has not dampened the spirits of the Premier League side.

In recent months, Arsenal have re-activated their interest in Garcia, whom they see as the ideal candidate to compete with David Raya for the starting spot in Mikel Arteta’s side. And while the likes of Atletico Madrid are said to be in the race, the North London club are believed to be favourites to secure the signature of one of La Liga’s standout goalkeepers this season.

According to reports in England (via ED), Arsenal have held talks in recent weeks with Garcia and his representatives. Their idea is to make a move in the summer, but they want to agree a deal with Espanyol that would be for lower than the player’s €25m release clause.

Should Espanyol be relegated, Garcia would be available for significantly cheaper as per a relegation release clause that is believed to be worth in the region of €15m. At this stage, Los Pericos are strong candidates to avoid a return to the Segunda, so their hope will be to bring in more than this from their goalkeeper’s inevitable summer sale.

It remains to be seen where Garcia ends up by the start of next season, although it is unlikely to be at the RCDE Stadium. Arsenal look well-placed for now, but there is a long way to go.

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This week, it was confirmed that Real Madrid will face Barcelona in the 2024-25 Copa del Rey final, with both clubs winning their semi-finals against Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid respectively. As such, a Superclasico will take place later this month at La Cartuja.

Real Madrid are expected to be slight underdogs for that match, given that they have lost the previous two Clasicos this season by an aggregate scoreline of 9-2. Andriy Lunin had been in goals for the first meeting, which saw Barcelona win 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu, and he had a strong chance to start in Seville as he has been Carlo Ancelotti’s goalkeeper in the Copa del Rey – although there had been doubts about his starting status with Thibaut Courtois a strong candidate to come in for the showdown clash.

Ancelotti would have been facing a selection headache, but it looks like it could now be cleared up. Lunin has been revealed to have suffered a calf injury in the last few days, and according to information from The Athletic’s Mario Cortegana, the Ukrainian shot stopper is projected to be out for four weeks, following medical tests done on Wednesday. He would also miss both legs of the upcoming Champions League quarter-final clash against Arsenal, although he was not expected to start either of those matches anyway.

However, Cortegana has also stated that Real Madrid have denied that Lunin has suffered an injury of this severity, and they are confident of him being available to face Valencia this weekend. He could take injections to guarantee his availability at the Bernabeu, although that would increase his chances of being out for an extended period of time, which is the last thing that Ancelotti needs considering Courtois has also had his fair share of physical problems this season.

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