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LONDON: Real Madrid are ready to make a £100 million bid for Manchester City star Rodri this summer.

New Madrid manager Xabi Alonso put the Spanish midfielder as his main target after his team lost badly to PSG in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup earlier this month.

Although City manager Pep Guardiola will certainly be reluctant to let go of his central midfielder with his absence for most of last season being one of the main factors in City missing out on the Premier League championship, Madrid believes the Etihad club may be tempted by a mega offer.

Rodri, 29, was sidelined from September until the end of last season following serious ACL and meniscus injuries suffered in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal.

He only made one appearance in the starting line-up and three from the bench at the Club World Cup, but only lasted 37 minutes in the match against Al Hilal in the round of 16 as City suffered a shock defeat, before experiencing new problems.

Uncertainty over Rodri’s actual physical condition is among the factors that may lead Real to take a wait-and-see approach, given his contract at City only expires in 2027.

This means the Bernabeu club can fully assess his fitness level over the next 12 months, while the player’s market value is also expected to decline as his contract nears the end.

But Alonso is understood to be urging Real’s management to present a bid now, as they are aware City may try to offer Rodri a long-term contract extension if his fitness fully recovers.

Real believe the former Atletico man, who hails from the Spanish capital and moved to the Premier League in a £62.8 million move six years ago, may be open to a return to his homeland.

Alonso is said to have been very surprised by the weakness of his team’s midfield when they were beaten by PSG, where they failed to match the movement and intensity of players like Vitinha, Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz.

The situation led him to urge that the midfield be strengthened and Rodri, who won the 2024 Ballon d’Or despite missing the final three months of the season due to surgery, was seen as the perfect solution.

Guardiola has never hidden how important Rodri is to his squad.

After Rodri was introduced against Juventus in the US, Pep said: “Everyone knows how important Rodri is.

“He’s one of the best players in the world. If he’s not in the squad, the loss will be felt deeply.”

City signed Spanish midfielder Nico Gonzalez from Porto for £50 million in January and also brought in Dutch international Tijjani Reijnders before the Club World Cup and Norwegian teenager Sverre Nypan last week.

But it remains unclear whether they can truly replace Rodri and Guardiola is seen as less inclined to sell.

However, Madrid are willing to test City’s resilience ahead of the final few weeks of the summer transfer window.

EAST RUTHERFORD, United States: Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca praised Cole Palmer’s ability to stand out in important matches, after the player was named the best player of the Club World Cup following Chelsea’s stylish 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the final early this morning.

“This is the kind of game we expected Cole Palmer to excel in and once again he proved his ability,” Maresca told a news conference after Palmer scored twice and provided an assist for Joao Pedro in a brilliant display against the Champions League winners.

Maresca revealed his tactical plan was a complete success, as Chelsea pressed PSG fiercely and used direct passes into the space behind the opposition defence with devastating effect.

“Our idea was to play one-on-one because if you give PSG space, they will punish you. So we tried to be aggressive and press them from the start and that intensity was very important in the first 10 minutes because the heat was extreme, it was really difficult conditions to play in,” explained Maresca.

The Italian coach also highlighted how his team managed to exploit weaknesses in PSG’s left-back, adding: “We managed to attack on the left side of their defence. Everything went well for us thanks to the players’ hard work.”

Maresca praised his lineup for executing the game plan perfectly, and their high-intensity style was a deciding factor in the scorching heat of New Jersey.

He also expressed his joy at winning the Club World Cup, which he said would be valued even higher in the future.

“I think this competition (the Club World Cup) will be as important or maybe more important than the Champions League,” Maresca said.

“I was lucky enough to be part of the coaching staff (at Manchester City) that won the Champions League three years ago, but this competition (the Club World Cup) brings together the best clubs in the world. That’s why we value it as much as the Champions League or maybe even more.

“For us, this is a great achievement. Giving Chelsea fans the opportunity to wear the world champion badge on their jersey is a great source of pride for us.”

LONDON: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says Christian Norgaard will bring ‘a lot of experience’ after signing for the Gunners from Brentford.

The 31-year-old midfielder reportedly joined the club for a fee of 10 million pounds plus 2 million pounds in add-ons.

Norgaard scored 13 goals in 196 appearances for the Bees and was a pillar of Brentford’s success as a Premier League club over the past four seasons.

“We welcome Christian to Arsenal. He is a national player with a lot of experience in the Premier League.

“He has proven his leadership and strong character which will be invaluable to our squad,” Arteta said in a statement released by Arsenal.

“He is a strong midfielder and has tactical strength and versatility. He is also physically good and intelligent, which gives us added value and balance.”

Norgaard becomes Arsenal’s third signing of the transfer window after Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Arsenal are also reportedly close to signing Swedish international Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon for around £70 million.

MADRID: Atletico Madrid winger Rodrigo Riquelme has signed a contract with Real Betis until 2030.

“Atletico Madrid and Real Betis have reached an agreement for the transfer of Rodrigo Riquelme,” Atletico said in a statement without providing details about the fee for the 25-year-old Spain international.

The two teams reached an agreement last week, reportedly worth eight million euros, with half going to the player and the rest to Atletico.

Riquelme will replace 19-year-old Jesus Rodriguez, who joined Italian club Como this week for a reported fee of 25 million euros.

Riquelme’s early career began with Atletico’s youth ranks and he played for Bournemouth and Mirandes before his talents began to shine at Girona in the 2022-23 season.

He has two caps for Spain after making his debut in November 2023.

In total, he has made 85 appearances in La Liga, 13 in the Champions League and 14 in the Copa del Rey.

MIAMI, United States: One of the reasons Real Madrid ended last season without any major trophies was the sudden decline in the performance of its main striker, Vinicius Junior.

Instead of competing for the Ballon d’Or award while helping Los Blancos win the Champions League and La Liga in the 2023–24 season, the Brazilian appeared to be sinking as Madrid ended the Carlo Ancelotti era in second place behind arch-rivals Barcelona.

However, new coach Xabi Alonso is pleased to see Vinicius shine again as Madrid progress to the last 16 of the Club World Cup, where they will face Juventus early on Wednesday morning.

If Vinicius is able to perform at his best, plus Kylian Mbappe’s return after recovering from a gastrointestinal problem, Madrid are believed to have a potent enough attacking line to win the tournament.

Vinicius scored a goal and created another for Federico Valverde in a 3-0 win over Salzburg, ensuring Madrid emerged as Group H champions and avoided facing Manchester City, who are seen as the strongest team so far in the United States.

“I’m very happy because Vini, like any striker, needed that goal,” Alonso said.

Vinicius is currently in the process of negotiating a new contract with Real Madrid, with his current contract still running until 2027.

“I hope to stay here for a long time. I’ve always said this is my life and death club,” Vinicius said earlier this week.

“I’m very comfortable with the coach and all the staff here, so I hope I can stay.”

Madrid want to ensure Vinicius is compatible with Mbappe, without compromising the team’s defensive balance.

Los Blancos will face Juventus in Orlando with the hope of reaching the quarter-finals and may be strengthened by the return of Mbappe who will have the opportunity to team up with Vinicius for the first time under Alonso.

Mbappe missed all three previous group matches and was hospitalized due to acute gastroenteritis, but has returned to training as usual in the past few days.

Alonso believes the two stars can work together, although initially there were problems because they were often in the same area of ​​the field.

Mbappe finally found his rhythm and finished last season with 43 goals in all competitions, while Vinicius scored 22 goals without really reaching his best form.

“They can do it – Vini plays on the wing, Kylian more in the middle… it’s not a big problem, because there is a very high level of individual quality. What’s important is that the team works,” Alonso explained.