Barcelona have made right-back one of their priorities for the summer transfer window, and while they have not settled on whom they will move for, various members of the current squad have been impressed by one of their targets.

The player in question is Rayo Vallecano and Romania full-back Andrei Ratiu, who is enjoying his best season yet in Vallecas. After arriving from Huesca (who have a 50% sell-on clause), Ratiu has gradually displaced Ivan Balliu on the right flank, standing out for his pace and imposing physique. His ability to go past players and his prowess in the final third have also brought many an admiring glance.

Flick: “Real Madrid’s complaints about their 72-hour rest period? We are Barça, not Real Madrid. And I’m proud that we are Barça.”

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 26, 2025

Including from the Barcelona squad, say MD. They note that many in the Blaugrana dressing room admire his attitude against the likes of Raphinha or Vinicius Junior, and his attacking output too. Ratiu’s performances have been commented on in conversations, and more than one Barcelona player has the Romanian in their fantasy team.

Barcelona will not be alone if they decide to pursue him, with Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League supposedly interested in him. Ratiu has a €25m release clause, and many believe he will leave Vallecas this summer.

Of course the conversations that matter in terms of a move take place between Hansi Flick and Director of Football Deco, and it appears that other options have convinced the Barcelona duo more than Ratiu this season. Equally, Deco is currently uncertain on what, if any, budget he will have to work with in the summer, and thus there is a good chance that Barcelona do not sign their first choice to compete with Jules Kounde. This season Ratiu has two goals and three assists in his 27 appearances under Inigo Perez, but has become one of their most consistent performers.

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Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso could probably walk into any top vacant job in European football this summer, but the one job he wants remains shrouded in uncertainty until the end of the season. The Basque manager is heavily tipped to take over from Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, the club he was at as a player and then started off his coaching career as under-19s manager.

Ancelotti has a contract until 2026, but Real Madrid may decide to dismiss him if he does not bring home the Liga title or the Champions League this season. However they will not make a decision on the final year of his deal until that becomes clear. Although Alonso is widely believed to be his successor, and there has been contact between Los Blancos and his camp, Bayer Leverkusen are keen to get an answer out of Alonso so they can continue planning for next season.

Alonso also has a contract until the end of next season, but there is an agreement with  CEO Fernando Carro that he can leave if Real Madrid come calling. According to Diario AS, Alonso will declare his plans for next season in a press conference at 14:30 CEST on Thursday, where he will take questions from the media about Leverkusen’s clash with VfL Bochum. They also say that it has been leaked that Alonso will announce that he is staying at the German club next season.

If Alonso should leave, then he risks essentially waiting for Ancelotti to fail be it this season or next. However should he stay at Leverkusen and Ancelotti be sacked this summer, then Los Blancos may look for another option, at which point Alonso’s plans would be at the mercy of the new coach’s success too. Equally it is far from an ideal summer to take over, with the Club World Cup meaning he likely wouldn’t be able to start work until well into July.

The post Xabi Alonso to declare decision on future in press conference – report appeared first on Football España.

Real Madrid have struggled with injuries at the back this season, and while that has led to a number of difficulties in games for Carlo Ancelotti, the emergence of Raul Asencio has been one positive to come out of it.

The 22-year-old was originally not even Carlo Ancelotti’s first choice to be promoted from the Castilla side, with 17-year-old Joan Martinez and Jacobo Ramon originally ahead of him in the pecking order. As with the first team though, injuries cleared the way for him to have his shot in the first team, and solid from the off, Asencio took that chance with both hands.

The idea of going through the last two months without Asencio’s aggression and security does not bear thinking of for Madridistas, with Asencio now racking up 29 appearances in total, despite not making his debut until November. Although David Alaba is now back and fully fit following his 13-month recovery from a knee injury, based on form at the very least, Asencio will see out the season alongside Antonio Rudiger as the first choice in front of Thibaut Courtois.

Asencio will be around for a while – multiple reports claim that Los Blancos have reached an agreement to extend his contract by five years, until 2029, doubling his release clause to €100m. While Real Madrid have a clause in his contract to extend it by five years that they could trigger automatically, figures from Marca claim that Asencio will also receive a €6.2m salary from next year, a figure that will rise year on year to €9m per annum by the end of his contract.

Meanwhile there is plenty of speculation over the future of Real Madrid’s backline. Asencio earned his first call up for Spain earlier this month, but did not feature due to form of Dean Huijsen, who came on for the injured Pau Cubarsi and then started against the Netherlands. Los Blancos are seemingly in the race to sign the €60m defender too.

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Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has ruled out Raphinha and Ronald Araujo from their clash with Osasuna, despite them both racing back from international duty with Brazil and Uruguay respectively. Araujo did not feature for the Celeste in their 0-0 draw with Bolivia, but Raphinha played a full 90 minutes in Brazil’s 4-1 beatdown at the hands of Argentina.

Flick noted that being unsure of Araujo’s condition though, he would not risk either player at Montjuic on Thursday night. Both are flying back to Barcelona today.

“They have a long flight and it’s not the best way to recover. Ronald didn’t play in the last game, but after his injury, we don’t know how he trained. We’ll see what happens on Sunday. We have a good team, and what I’ve seen in training has been positive. We have to fight for the three points. If we win tomorrow, it will be a good reaction.”

Meanwhile Pau Cubarsi is coming off an ankle injury suffered on Spain duty, while Inigo Martinez was ruled out of action for La Roja before the break after a knee issue. The former returned to training on Wednesday, while Martinez was back in action from Monday.

“Eric [Garcia] and Inigo will play as center backs. Pau will be on the bench. It’s better for him to have a couple more days because he needs it. The injury isn’t serious, but it’s good that he has more days. If we had needed him, he would have played.”

No doubt Flick would have been irritated to see Pedri, Ferran Torres and Jules Kounde all participate in extra time for Spain and France respectively in the Nations League too.

Raphinha endured a nightmare at the Monumental as Brazil suffered their worst-ever World Cup qualifier defeat, losing 4-1 to Argentina. @joaquimpiera

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 26, 2025

“I’m only thinking about this week. The players from Spain, France, and the Netherlands need to recover. Today they had their first full session. This is how it is, and it’s not the best situation for them, but they’re professionals. I’m really happy with them, I didn’t notice any difference from those players, they trained really well. This team is incredible; they recover very well and are professional.”

There has also been an injury doubt over Robert Lewandowski, who came off the bench for Poland on Tuesday night against Malta. He had stated that he felt in better shape than when the international break started.

“He’s ready to play, we’ll decide tomorrow if he starts. He feels good, and it’s a good situation for us. Ferran is also in really good shape, so it’s really good news.”

The headline from the press conference was undoubtedly written in his first answer though, as he complained about the scheduling in Spain, feeling other countries protect their teams more. Aside from Araujo and Raphinha, it does look as if Flick will have all of the players that left on international duty available to take on Osasuna at 21:00 CEST on Thursday.

The post Barcelona manager Hansi Flick confirms centre-backs against Osasuna and two absences appeared first on Football España.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick started off with a pointed statement about the scheduling of games in Spanish football ahead of their clash with Osasuna on Thursday night. The Blaugrana’s postponed fixture was rearranged, with some of their players coming back with less than 48 hours between their international fixtures.

The Blaugrana will also have just 65 hours rest between their game against Osasuna and their Sunday clash with Girona. It was immediately the first talking point in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

“The players have played with their teams, and now it is time for us to play tomorrow. After we have Leganes away at 21:00, so we play late, we arrive late. It’s always this way when we play away. We will have little rest.”

“It’s to do with the recovery of the players. I’m not happy about this. You see other leagues, how they handle it, with the Champions League, it’s completely different. It’s not about Real Madrid vs Barca, it’s about protecting Spanish teams so they can have success.”

“But we cannot change it, we will play and I’ve always said there are no excuses. The team is ready, and we can win every game. Now I’m thinking positively about this.”

Both Barcelona and Osasuna appealed the decision to arrange the game so quickly after the international break, instead seeking a date later in the season, with no little frustration. Flick was asked for his reaction.

“I don’t want to speak about my reaction, it’s not good. We have to accept it. That’s how they decided. We can’t change it. It’s UEFA or FIFA’s job to decide whether the players can rest. Maybe that’s the only option, for them to say two or three days rest. In the end, that’s how it is. La Liga has given the go-ahead.”

He was also in favour of eliminating extra time from the Nations League.

“Yes. We have to think about it. 30 minutes less is quite a lot. The players have a lot of matches, but the decision is up to UEFA or FIFA.”

Flick: “If we beat Osasuna, it will have been the perfect response to this situation.”

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 26, 2025

However he eased his tone towards the end of the press conference, looking to spin to the optimistic side of things. It was put to Flick that Barcelona will play seven games in 20 days.

“I spoke with my staff and we discussed what we could do to get the players back in shape. They told me the players are ready and that playing every three days isn’t too much for them. They say the players are good. I choose to trust them, and we’ll see what happens.”

Barcelona take on Osasuna at 21:00 CEST on Thursday night at 21:00 CEST, before hosting Girona at home as well on Sunday afternoon at 16:15 CEST. Circled in red will be their Copa del Rey semi-final return leg though on Wednesday, as they look for a second victory at the Metropolitano following a 4-4 draw in the first leg.

The post “I’m not happy about it, it’s not about Real Madrid v Barcelona” – Hansi Flick on Osasuna fixture appeared first on Football España.

Barcelona Director of Football Deco has barely paused between contract renewals since the beginning of 2025, and a significant proportion of the current squad have now agreed to or held talks over a new deal in the last three months. The latest to be involved in discussions is youngster Pablo Torre.

Something that comes as a surprise, given his lack of minutes with the first team. Torre, 21, has impressed when given the chance, averaging a goal contribution every 53 minutes across his 12 appearances this season, but with just 373 minutes, those chances have been few and far between. With Gavi and Fermin Lopez struggling for minutes ahead of him, it is no surprise that he has seen little game time though.

Barcelona are considering restructuring Ansu Fati’s contract using the ‘Umtiti Formula’ to reduce his financial impact on the club. Barça could extend his deal until 2030, spreading his wages over five years. @sport

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 26, 2025

With his contract up in 2026 though, it had been expected that Barcelona would look to sell Torre this summer, but Sport now say that Deco has opened talks with his agents over an extension. The Blaugrana are keen to offer him a one-year extension until 2027, although he does not accept it, then they will look to move him on this year.

Their plan is for Torre to leave on loan in the summer to another La Liga club, where he can increase his value, get game time, and potentially even earn a spot on his return to the club in 2026. There is full faith from the club that he has the talent to become a  quality player, but the opportunities at the club are just too few.

Barcelona were open to him leaving on loan in January, with Celta Vigo, Real Betis and Valencia all interested, but Torre elected to stay. His priority until this point has been to make it at Barcelona, and the Catalan daily say ‘everything indicates’ he will be keen on extending his deal at the club. Deco is keen to resolve the matter before June at any rate.

The Blaugrana purchased Torre from Racing Santander for €5m as a teenager, with the potential for the deal to rise to €19m, but after seemingly failing to impress Xavi Hernandez, has seen his progress stunted. Although Torre did receive minutes at Girona, he struggled for meaningful game time, and returned to try his luck under Hansi Flick.

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No shortage of eyebrows were raised by comments made by Barcelona and Brazil star Raphinha before the Selecao took on Argentina on Tuesday night in Buenos Aires. His assertions that Brazil would give the Albiceleste a beating backfired in spectacular fashion.

“We’re going to play against Argentina. Now, thank God, without Messi,” Raphinha noted in a podcast with Romario, who asked ‘Are we going to give them a beating?’

Raphinha endured a nightmare at the Monumental as Brazil suffered their worst-ever World Cup qualifier defeat, losing 4-1 to Argentina. @joaquimpiera

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 26, 2025

“A beating, without a doubt, on and off the pitch if necessary,” Raphinha responded, one of several Brazil players to express confidence in a big result.

Things could barely have gone worse for Brazil. Behind after four minutes through a Julian Alvarez goal, Argentina dominated from start to finish, with Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Giuliano Simeone all got on the scoresheet. Matheus Cunha’s strike in the first half made it 2-1, but that was the only real resistance from Brazil. It could even see manager Dorival Junior lose his job.

“It was historic because of the context and everything that was said, because we played a great game at home in front of our fans, and because we qualified for the World Cup,” Julian Alvarez explained, as quoted by MD. He noted that Raphinha’s words were no match for their hard work.

Lionel Scaloni: “Giuliano [Simeone] has undergone a huge transformation since he has been with us, thanks to him, his club, and his father, who is his coach, passing on everything he was as a player.”@marqoss pic.twitter.com/njO1327rlO

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 26, 2025

How much did Raphinha’s pre-match seasoning influence us? “Obviously, that way of speaking adds spice to a match like this, but with humility and our hard work, we had them on strings.”

Meanwhile during the game, Raphinha had a scuffle with Argentina’s Nicolas Tagliafico, with Nicolas Otamendi seen shouting ‘Speak less, speak less’.

“Hablá menos” Se picó el clásico y Otamendi le dejó un mensaje a Raphinha

Mirá #ArgentinaXTelefe con los comentarios de @JPVarsky y relatos de @giraltpablo por https://t.co/2ECurz6Kmn pic.twitter.com/SQoRuaw9x0

— telefe (@telefe) March 26, 2025

Atletico Madrid had a starring role in Argentina’s victory, and Rodrigo de Paul also noted that it was time that the Albiceleste were paid some respect.

“It’s fine. It stays there, on the pitch. We never disrespect anyone. And yet, over the years, we’ve been disrespected quite a bit. We’ve been the best team of all time for five or six years. Let them respect us,” he told the same outlet.

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni passed on the opportunity to rub salt into Raphinha’s wounds.

“I forgive Raphinha because I know he didn’t do it on purpose. He’s defending his national team, nothing more. Whether he made a statement or not, we were going to play our game, and so was Brazil. I’m absolutely certain he didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

Raphinha was the object of offensive chanting at the Monumental, with the home fans singing ‘Put Raphinha on, put Raphinha on, the whore who gave birth to you.’ Although far less offensive, Real Madrid star Rodrygo Goes also received some back from Leandro Paredes during the game. After the match, he also had words for Raphinha, as recounted by Relevo.

“You shouldn’t talk beforehand, you shouldn’t say these kinds of things when you can’t prove it on the pitch. They sent it to the WhatsApp group and we discussed it. Whenever this kind of thing happens, we stand up for ourselves, and we did it again.”

The post Every Argentina response to Raphinha and highlights after Brazil are given beatdown appeared first on Football España.

It was not an easy watch for Brazilians on Tuesday night, as the Selecao fell to a brutal 4-1 defeat at the hands of their neighbours and arch rivals Argentina in Buenos Aires. Brazil had been talking up their chances of winning, with Barcelona star Raphinha also telling the press that Brazil would give Argentina a beating on and off the pitch.

After just four minutes, that idea was falling apart, with Julian Alvarez opening the scoring for the Albiceleste, and setting the tone for a match in which Brazil struggled to trouble Argentina. Brazil appeared to have psyched themselves up for the tie, and tried to take the trash talking into the game too. However as happened with the game, Brazil came off second best.

Real Madrid star Rodrygo Goes evidenced as much, as he was caught on camera telling AS Roma and Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes ‘you are very bad’. Paredes, as highlighted by MD, had the perfect response, responding “I have a World Cup, two Copa Americas, you zero. You zero.”

Rodrygo: “You are very bad.”

Leandro Paredes: “I have 1 World Cup and 2 Copa Americas, you zero. You zero.”pic.twitter.com/v58wCH0K9a

— Football España (@footballespana_) March 26, 2025

Rodrygo was not the only one who was quietened down by the home side, with the home fans singing ‘Put Raphinha on’, mocking his lack of involvement. During a scuffle, Nicolas Otamendi was also seen telling him to ‘Speak less’. Brazil will need to work on their trash talking game as much as their defending before going into future clashes.

“Hablá menos” Se picó el clásico y Otamendi le dejó un mensaje a Raphinha

Mirá #ArgentinaXTelefe con los comentarios de @JPVarsky y relatos de @giraltpablo por https://t.co/2ECurz6Kmn pic.twitter.com/SQoRuaw9x0

— telefe (@telefe) March 26, 2025

While Brazil were silenced on the pitch, the noise increased dramatically off it. Manager Dorival Junior is now under serious pressure for his job, a year out from the World Cup, with Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti back in the frame to take over depending on how things go with Los Blancos this season. Brazil sit fourth in the South American qualifying campaign, behind Uruguay and Ecuador, although their six-point advantage over Venezuela means their place at the World Cup is not in jeopardy.

The post WATCH: Rodrygo Goes embarassed in trash talking attempt during Argentina thrashing appeared first on Football España.

Despite talking up their chances of getting one over their arch rivals Argentina, Brazil were condemned to a chastening 4-1 defeat in Buenos Aires on Tuesday night. Just over a year out from the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, Dorival Junior’s job security is a topic of discussion.

After Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior remarked that Brazil had to ‘rethink everything’ in Argentina, questions marks have appeared over the future of the Selecao. Dorival was by no means the first choice at the CBF, and is in fact the third coach to take charge of games for Brazil since the 2022 World Cup, when they crashed out to Croatia in the quarter-finals.

As per Globo Esporte, Dorival’s work was already being questioned by the hierarchy, with Brazil fourth in South American qualifying behind Ecuador and Uruguay, and against Argentina, conceded four times in the qualifying campaign for the first time. CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues was recently re-elected as president, and he was the one who publicly declared an ambition to sign Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti in 2023.

The Italian manager was reportedly Rodrigues’ top choice after Pep Guardiola, and Ronaldo Nazario recently revealed that Ancelotti had negotiated to take over at Brazil, but Los Blancos decided to retain him. With Rodrigues and company now looking at alternatives again, Ancelotti’s name is back on the table, as is former Atletico Madrid defender and current Flamengo manager Filipe Luis. Ancelotti’s contract at Real Madrid and the Club World Cup in June and July are the main thing preventing Brazil moving for him.

Ancelotti has a contract until 2026 at the Santiago Bernabeu, and if he authors a successful season in terms of silverware, President Florentino Perez will likely maintain him. He has also stated that he will never willingly leave Real Madrid. If Los Blancos end the season without La Liga or the Champions League, it would be no surprise if Brazil made a move.

The post Carlo Ancelotti back in the frame for Brazil job after Argentina thumping appeared first on Football España.

Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi has turned down more elite clubs than most will in their career at the age of 26, but this summer is for many, the one where he could move on. Last year Zubimendi backed out of a move to Liverpool at the last minute, but once again clubs are lining up for his signature in hope that he could be convinced to leave Donostia-San Sebastian.

Since January, Arsenal have been tipped as the favourites to sign Zubimendi. After pursuing him two seasons ago, Mikel Arteta is willing to reunite him with former teammate Mikel Merino in London, and the Gunners have the funds to activate his €60m release clause and give him a significant raise. Zubimendi shares an agent with Arteta, and has previously voiced his admiration for the Premier League.

While it has been acknowledged in Spain that Arsenal are in pole position for Zubimendi, their main threat appears to Real Madrid – Cadena Cope report that they are gaining ground too. Their information is that Los Blancos are getting ‘closer and closer’ to signing the Euro 2024-winner. One of the key factors is that they would hand him the keys to the midfield, and their plans for him on the pitch are attractive.

La Real can no longer compete for Champions League football this season, while Los Blancos offer him the guarantee of competing for titles. Moving to Real Madrid would also aid his bid to lock down a starting role with Spain ahead of Rodri Hernandez’s return to action, and the probable arrival of Xabi Alonso as manager down the line, Zubimendi’s idol, is another attractive proposition for him.

It would not be the first time that Real Madrid have reported confidence in getting a deal done before it is, but the fact of the matter is that few players turn down Los Blancos. Zubimendi does have plenty of connections at Arsenal, where there is a growing Basque presence, but they may need to convince him that trophies are on the horizon.

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