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Real Madrid registered a 3-0 win over Elche on Wednesday (October 19) night in La Liga. Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio found the back of the net as the holders moved six points clear of Barcelona at the top.
Meanwhile, Los Blancos are interested in a Villarreal defender. Elsewhere, manager Carlo Ancelotti has opened up on Asensio's future.
On that note, here's a look at the key Real Madrid transfer stories as on October 20, 2022:
Real Madrid interested in Pau Torres
Real Madrid are interested in Pau Torres, according to Fichajes via The Hard Tackle.
The Spanish centre-back has earned rave reviews with his consistent performances for Villarreal recently. The 25-year-old has made nearly 150 appearances for the Yellow Submarine, scoring 11 goals and setting up five more.
His steady rise has caught the attention of the Santiago Bernabeu hierarchy. Los Blancos have a plethora of riches in their centre-back department, but Nacho's uncertain future could force them to consider new additions.
Torres would be an upgrade on his countryman and is among the players the club are currently monitoring.
Carlo Ancelotti opens up on Marco Asensio future
Carlo Ancelotti has said that Real Madrid will discuss Marco Asensio's future after the FIFA World Cup in Qatar next month. The Spaniard has struggled for chances at the Santiago Bernabeu and is least pleased with the situation. His contract expires at the end of the season.
Speaking after Wednesday's game, as cited by Football Espana, Ancelotti stressed the importance of having squad depth.
"It’s quite obvious that there are more than eleven players in the team who deserve to play. Also today we had Camavinga, Tchouameni, Lucas on the bench. It’s clear that we have more than eleven that can play as starters because they all come off the bench with a lot of energy, and I’m very happy about it," said Ancelotti.
He continued:
"When you have Camavinga who can come on with a lot of energy in the 70th minute, when you have Tchouameni who can come too, it’s something to take into account.”
Ancelotti admitted that Asensio has shown his quality whenever called upon.
"We haven’t talked about the issue of Asensio’s contract. He has played little but when he does, he shows that he can do it. He has been decisive and he will have more minutes in the future, and after the World Cup we will talk about his contractual position," said Ancelotti.
The Spaniard has appeared ten times for Los Blancos this season and has scored two goals. One of his strikes came in the win over Elche last night.
Florentino Perez compares Karim Benzema with Zidane and Ronaldo Nazario
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has compared Karim Benzema with Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo Nazario. Benzema won the Ballon d'Or earlier this week after a fruitful 2021/22 season with the La Liga giants.
Speaking recently, Perez paid tribute to the 34-year-old and said that the Frenchman has the qualities of both Ronaldo and Zidane.
“He’s a nine, a mix of Ronaldo and Zidane; he does those two jobs at the same time. He is a crack. He moves the lead like Zidane did and shoots on goal like Ronaldo Nazario did," said Perez.
Benzema has six goals from 11 appearances across competitions for Los Blancos this season.
