Real Madrid eye £70M move for Gareth Bale's replacement, Barcelona agree deal for Colombian defender and more La Liga news – 19th December

All the latest LaLiga news in one place!

Marcelo on Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho was sacked as the Manchester United manager yesterday and within hours, he was linked with a move back to Real Madrid. Jose had managed the Spanish giants for 3 seasons, from 2010 to 2013, before leaving for Chelsea.

Marcelo was asked to comment on the sacking of Mourinho at United and also on the rumours of him heading back to Bernabeu. The Brazilian left-back said, "[His sacking] is a pity as he is a great coach and for him to be without a club is a pity. It's not for me to say if he should come to Real Madrid, but I really appreciate all he did for me at this club.”

Reports suggest that Florentino Perez is keen on getting Mourinho back to the Spanish capital despite what happened at the end of his career at Bernabeu. The manager had a fall out with the majority of the players but his relationship with the president reportedly stayed intact.

Solari has just taken over at Madrid and is under contract until 2021. However, should fail to impress the board and not win a trophy, or show a positive sign, he is bound to be sacked.

Apart from Mourinho, Mauricio Pochettino is a target for Madrid. But the fact that they do not have to pay any fee to get Mourinho is pushing the tide in the former Chelsea manager's favour. Also, Madrid will have to fight with Manchester United for Pochettino, as the Red Devils are also looking to appoint the Spurs manager as their next boss!

Barcelona news and more on the next page.

Big move?

Barcelona agree deal for Jeison Murillo

Barcelona have agreed a loan deal with Valencia for Jeison Murillo according to RAC1. The Colombian defender will join the Catalan side in January as a short-term replacement for Samuel Umtiti.

Barca are with the Umtiti for the majority of the season and Vermaelen has also gotten injured. They now have to depend on Pique and Lenglet as they do not have any other centre-back in the squad.

They sold Yerry Mina to Everton in the summer and are now set to sign his countryman on loan for the rest of the season. Reports suggest that Barcelona tried to sign Andreas Christensen from Chelsea but their bid was rejected straight away by the Premier League side.

Chelsea reject Christensen bid

Chelsea have made it clear to Barcelona that they will not be letting go of Christensen at any cost. The Blues are not willing to loan or sell the Danish defender and see him as an important part of the club's future.

Reports in Spain suggested that The Catalan side had agreed a deal but nothing of that sorts has happened according to reports in England. Christensen is keen on getting more minutes under his belt but David Luiz and Rudiger are not letting him get into the starting XI.

Real Madrid news on the next page!

Mourinho again?

Perez eyes Jadon Sancho as Gareth Bale's replacement

Real Madrid are plotting a stunning move for Jadon Sancho according to reports in Don Balon. The Spanish publication claims that Florentino Perez is keen on signing the young Englishman as a long-term replacement for Gareth Bale.

Sancho has been on fire this season and has attracted interest from a lot of clubs around Europe. However, Manchester City are the ones leading the race for their former starlet.

Bale had a great start to the season but that faded away really quickly. He was missing in a lot of big games and Real Madrid suffered badly. The Welshman scored a hat-trick in the Club World Match but the president is keen on sealing the deal for Sacho as soon as possible.