Manchester United star wants to join Barcelona, Real Madrid eye €80M defender and more LaLiga news: 29 January 2019

Sripad
Real Madrid v Girona - Copa del Rey Quarter Final
Real Madrid v Girona - Copa del Rey Quarter Final

We are now just 3 days away from the winter transfer window shutting close! LaLiga sides are still busy trying to get the players they want and it looks like we will be an exciting finish to the window.

Real Madrid have only got Brahim Diaz so far while Barcelona have signed Kevin-Prince Boateng. The Catalan side have also confirmed the signing of Frenkie De Jong, but he will only be joining from Ajax in the summer.

Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, have got Alvaro Morata on an 18-month loan deal from Chelsea with an option to buy. The other sides are also working hard to get some fresh faces but with not much success.

Without further ado, here are the top news and rumours of the day:

Lucas Vazquez confident of title chase

Real Madrid are 10 points behind Barcelona in the LaLiga table and look all but out of the title picture. But Lucas Vazquez is not losing hope and believes that they will still manage to challenge for the title till the very end.

“We want to win every game and then we can see what happens. This is Real Madrid and we will fight until the end as we always do, the teams above us might slip up and we want to take advantage of that,” said Vazquez.

Continuing to talk about the club striker, Karim Benzema's current form, the winger said, “Karim Benzema? He is the best striker in the world, he works so hard, he scores goals and offers this team so much. We enjoyed a very good match at Espanyol, we had intensity in our play and scored four goals – we want to show this in every game.”

Red Star Belgrade v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Group C
Red Star Belgrade v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Group C

Real Madrid eye €80M defender

Real Madrid are on the lookouts for a long-term replacement for Sergio Ramos. The Spanish giants are keen on signing a defender who can partner Raphael Varane in the heart of the defence after their club captain retires.

According to reports in Spain, Los Blancos have set sights on signing Marquinhos from Paris Saint-Germain. The Brazilian has jumped to the top of the list according to the report, and is was Florentino Perez who handpicked the PSG star.

Kalidou Koulibaly was once said to be their top target but the move for the Napoli star seems to have ended. Another defender who was linked with Real Madrid was Eder Militao of FC Porto but that too seems to have not materialized.

Manchester United v FK Rostov - UEFA Europa League Round of 16: Second Leg
Manchester United v FK Rostov - UEFA Europa League Round of 16: Second Leg

Juan Mata to Barcelona?

Juan Mata's contract is up at Manchester United at the end of the season and he is set to be a free agent. Barcelona are keen on signing an experienced midfielder and reports in Spain claim that the two are set to cross paths.

According to reports in Spain, Juan Mata is keen on joining Barcelona and the Catalan side are interested in signing him too! The midfielder is free to sign a pre-contract right now but the Spanish giants are yet to make an offer.

Meanwhile, reports in the United Kingdom claim that Mata has been offered a new 1-year deal by Manchester United. They are not willing to part ways with the Spaniard and are looking to keep him at Old Trafford.

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