#real-madrid

#real-madrid

Karim Benzema is reportedly at war with current club Al-Ittihad, amid talks of a move back to Real Madrid. Benzema, 38, left Los Blancos for Saudi Arabia in 2023 and has since scored 54 goals in 83 games for the Middle-Eastern outfit. With just six months left on his current deal, the French striker is said to now be engulfed in a dispute with the club's owners over a failed contract extension.

The problem is we aren't consistent in our play, we have to fix that, you can't have one day [playing well] and another not, a champion team does not do that, Mbappe told reporters. We deserve to be in this situation today. Benfica were better. Now we have to play two more playoff games. It hurts to have to play those. We wanted to have the time in February to work on our game.

In LaLiga, Real Madrid swapped flair for pragmatism to get a big win on the road against a strong Villarreal side, and Juventus showed their class in Serie A with a big victory over struggling Napoli that puts them back in touch with the top four. Plus there was more panic for Liverpool, as they lost at Bournemouth with a last-gasp goal that bumped them out of the top four.

It will be interesting to see if Real Madrid is willing to sanction his departure. The 25-year-old has done well for the La Liga outfit since joining them, but a move to the Premier League could be exciting for the French international. He has the physicality and technical attributes for Premier League football, and he could be a key player for Liverpool and Tottenham.

Real Madrid could face trial for alleged environmental offences after a Spanish judge ruled there was sufficient evidence that loud concerts held at the club's Bernabeu stadium, which has been dubbed the torture-drome by local residents, could have broken the law. The Residents' Association for those Affected by the Bernabeu (AVPB) began legal action against the football club and the city council in 2024, saying a series of punishingly loud concerts held that spring and summer had made their lives a misery.

Discussing the Guler situation, sources with links to the agents industry suggested that the player was not currently keen on leaving the Bernabeu. However, Arsenal and Chelsea are continuing to monitor the Turkey international as there's some sense that Madrid could cash in for the right price this summer. Arsenal are continuing to monitor Arda Guler, one source said. The challenge would be persuading the player, who is not currently looking to leave Real Madrid.