Real Madrid fear that Marco Asensio already has a deal with Premier League giants Newcastle United, so they are delaying his contract extension. The sensational claim comes from Spanish news outlet El Nacional, which speculates that the Spaniard could leave as a free agent this summer.
Asensio joined Real Madrid from Mallorca for €3.9m in 2015. The Spaniard has scored impressive goals and put in memorable performances, but has yet to cement his place as a starter. Carlo Ancelotti has used him in a rotation capacity this season, reportedly leaving the player unhappy.
Ancelotti values Asensio’s contribution, and the Whites are prepared to extend his stay beyond June 2023, but the player has not yet put pen to paper.
11 G/A in 1075 minutes for Marco Asensio this season. 🇪🇸 https://t.co/7RtbUZ6uVO
It has been said that the president of Madrid, Florentino Pérez, fears that Asensio already has an agreement with another team. Perez acknowledges that Asensio’s agent, Jorge Mendes, who has strong ties in England, has already secured the transfer of his client to Newcastle United and is simply delaying an extension to increase the value of his client.
With plenty of money coming from their Saudi Arabian owners, Newcastle have one of the most exciting projects in the game. The Herons are fifth in the Premier League and have a real chance of securing European football next season. Eddie Howe has also orchestrated an impressive style of football, making the club a tempting proposition for attackers.
Newcastle are reportedly keen to take things slow and not invest heavily in top-level players. So they want to bring in Asensio, who wouldn’t cost a penny in transfer fee and would bring a wealth of experience. Asensio could also benefit from the deal, as Newcastle could give him a good salary with the money they save on his transfer fees.
Real Madrid, for its part, is not convinced of the renewal of Asensio, who receives a considerable salary for a player who operates mostly from the bench. With three months to go before his contract expires, Madrid must act quickly if he wants to keep the right winger next season.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti sends a strong message to Barcelona ahead of the Copa del Rey clash.
Real Madrid took a 3-1 thrashing in their previous meeting with Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in January. The Whites were all over the place in that game and were lucky to avoid an even bigger loss.
With the memory of the defeat still fresh, Real Madrid host Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday (March 2). Before the match, Ancelotti said that his team would be forceful and determined in the Clásico. He said (via 90min):
“We have evaluated everything. In the Super Cup we lacked commitment and forcefulness, with individual mistakes that will not be repeated. We are close to winning an important competition, and we are going to compete. It’s not the decisive game, but we want to take advantage”.
The second leg of the Copa del Rey Clásico will be played at the Camp Nou on April 5.