In 2014, as Barcelona were handed a transfer ban they rallied against but ultimately had to accept, Real Madrid were aware of the real possibility they could reach the same fate. Twelve months ago, as reported by the Guardian, FIFA began investigating Real’s transfer activity relating to youth players just as it had done with Barcelona, and immediately the club went into a buying frenzy. Buy Neverwinter Zen That January, Madrid signed Lucas Silva and Martin Odegaard. Soon after, a deal was struck for Danilo. “The same as filling a nuclear shelter with water and biscuits,” wrote AS of what looked like precautionary action. Here at Bleacher Report, we pondered whether a transfer ban was being foreseen.
Arsenal target Granit Xhaka could leave Borussia Monchengladbach, says the club’s sporting director Max Eberl. The Gunners have long been linked with a £37m swoop for the 23-year-old Switzerland international but seem willing to wait until the summer to get their man. “We have lost players like Reus and ter Stegen, Kruse and Kramer,” Erbel told Bild. “In the summer perhaps Granit Xhaka will go. We need a good mix between buying and selling to take the next step. After four successful years, we are not yet on a par with Bayern, Dortmund, Leverkusen, Schalke and Wolfsburg.”
The approaching summer was poised to be a fascinating one at Real Madrid, whose struggles in a disastrous 2015 had heightened the likelihood of major change at the club. According to Sky Sports’ Guillem Balague, Madrid had been prepared to listen to offers for Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. “The plans of Real Madrid were very clear,” said Balague. “They wanted to recycle the side and they would have accepted the right offers for Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.” Recently, of course, new manager Zinedine Zidane has insisted the three-time Ballon d’Or winner will be “going nowhere” under his watch, but it’s worth remembering managers have rarely had the ultimate authority on transfers at the Bernabeu; club president Florentino Perez has.
As such, the idea of selling Ronaldo appeared to be based on three factors. Despite having maintained his stunning numbers in 2015, Neverwinter Gold Ronaldo exhibited small signs of decline, his influence against major sides not what it once was. Indeed, so far this season, the Portuguese has 25 goals in all competitions but hasn’t scored in eight combined games against Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla, Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao and Paris Saint-Germain. The Baggies, according to the Daily Mirror, would prefer to do business with the Magpies to avoid sending their prized asset to White Hart Lane. Despite the former England having just 18 months left on his contract.
West Brom is determined to remain in charge of the situation and have shown their willingness to turn down big-money offers in the past. Four of Chelsea’s biggest stars have been linked with an ‘exodus’ from the club after a fantastically terrible season at Stamford Bridge. According to The Sun, Chelsea fear losing Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, Thibaut Courtois and Oscar in the summer. After a season of bad football and worse results that has seen Premier League winning manager Jose Mourinho sacked and rumours of a broken tense dressing room, the quartet may look to jump ship, especially with Champions League football looking increasingly unlikely.
On the pitch, Zinedine Zidane’s reign at Real Madrid could hardly have started much better; two wins from two matches and 10 goals scored have quickly helped dissipate the grey clouds that hung over the Bernabeu during the ill-fated Rafa Benitez era. And there is every reason to expect another emphatic win on Sunday, when they visit a Real Betis side struggling at the wrong end of the table. Off the pitch, though, a state of uncertainty still prevails.