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Real Madrid continued to keep the pressure on Barcelona and Atletico Madrid and with a 2-1 win over Elche. The Blancos needed a brace from Karim Benzema including a 92nd minute-winner to come back from behind and beat the newly-promoted side. They are now set to return to UEFA Champions League action with a second-leg round of 16 tie against Atalanta Bergamo.
Ahead of the game, here is a look at some of the latest Real Madrid news.
Martin Odegaard's condition to return to Real Madrid
On-loan midfielder Martin Odegaard has dropped a hint regarding his future by saying he's happy with life in North London so far. The Norwegian star moved to the Emirates on loan after falling down the pecking order at Real Madrid, failing to break into the first XI upon his return from a loan spell at Real Sociedad.
Since there is no option for Arsenal to purchase him permanently in the summer, he is likely to return to his parent club, but a move elsewhere could still be on the cards.
When asked over his future, the creative midfielder explained;
"I said many times that I’ve been looking for stability (in same club), but haven’t found it. I think it’ll be important to find stability. I’m very happy at Arsenal, enjoying myself. I like it here. Now my focus is to finish the season, then we’ll see."
The Real Madrid man has accumulated nine appearances for Arsenal across all competitions and scored an absolute scorcher of a goal to open his account for the Gunners in their UEFA Europa League tie against Olympiakos.
Juventus name price for Cristiano Ronaldo
After Juventus' disappointing UCL exit at the hands of FC Porto, rumours of Cristiano Ronaldo's potential return to Real Madrid are beginning to gather some momentum. Now, a new report from Spain has claimed that the Bianconeri are willing to accept a fee as little as €29m to sell the Portuguese superstar to any potential suitors.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner left Los Blancos in 2018 on the back of his third successive UCL title for an initial fee of €100m on a massive pay package worth roughly €30m-per-season, which is a fifth of their wage budget. With Juventus' impending squad refresh as well as his massive wages proving troublesome given the ongoing financial crisis, the report claims that Real Madrid can purchase Cristiano Ronaldo for €29m.
However, Andrea Pirlo has played down the rumours regarding a potential Cristiano Ronaldo exit, saying;
"It's normal that he's [Cristiano Ronaldo] disappointed, as is the whole squad. And it's normal there be rumours [of a Real Madrid return] after an elimination."
The Juventus boss added,
"He is the most talked about footballer in the world alongside [Lionel] Messi — people are always talking about him. It's worth reminding that he has always done well. He has 90 goals in a hundred games for Juventus and has always shown his worth. It can happen that he doesn't score in a certain match, as has happened with others, and this creates rumours."
Cristiano Ronaldo to bridge the gap before massive 2022 summer spend
In what is an intriguing report from Spanish outlet AS, it has been claimed that Real Madrid could potentially sign Cristiano Ronaldo as a stop-gap to help ease their goalscoring woes for the next season. This could pave the way for the pruchases of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.
Mbappe is into the final 15 months of his contract and, should he opt against renewing his deal, the striker could be available on a free transfer in the summer of 2022. This is ambitious, however, as PSG will do everything in their power to avoid losing the second most expensive player in football history for free.
Elsewhere, Haaland's €75m release clause comes into effect in 2022, and Real Madrid could consider signing him as well, given that they have long admired the Norwegian.
