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Real Madrid have returned to winning ways with a 4-1 win away at Deportivo Alaves with Karim Benzema, Casemiro, and returning hero Eden Hazard getting on the scoresheet. The Blancos, however, have a herculean task ahead of them to try and dethrone cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid, who sit at the top of the table with a seven-point lead (and a game in hand) over Zinedine Zidane's second-placed side.
Ahead of their upcoming fixture at home to Levante, here, we take a look at some of the latest Real Madrid transfer news.
Martin Odegaard transfer announcement imminent
Martin Odegaard has reportedly completed his temporary move from Real Madrid to Arsenal for the remainder of the campaign. The Norwegian star was said to be frustrated due to a lack of playing time at Real Madrid upon his return from what was a successful loan spell at Real Sociedad. Odegaard racked up only 367 minutes across all competitions for Zidane's men in 2020/21.
Arsenal will end up paying a total fee believed to be in the region of €3m for the services of Odegaard until the end of the season without an option to keep him permanently, similar to Dani Ceballos' deal. The 22-year-old was said to be convinced by Mikel Arteta after the Spaniard explained the role he will be given at the Emirates, due to which he opted to sign for the Gunners over Real Sociedad.
Raphael Varane will leave Real Madrid should Zinedine Zidane depart
In what could be a massive blow for Real Madrid, star defender Raphael Varane could reportedly depart the club come summer should manager Zinedine Zidane be fired. The French coach's future at the club is up in the air after a challenging campaign at the helm of Real Madrid, trailing rivals Atletico Madrid by seven points and a game, and having been eliminated from the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana.
Julian Nagelsmann has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid to replace Zidane should matters get worse. With Varane's contract set to expire in 2022, the French World Cup winner could follow the 48-year-old out of Real Madrid, leaving the Spanish champions' backline in tatters. With Marcelo expected to depart and Sergio Ramos set to become a free agent in less than six months, Real Madrid could be in need of a massive overhaul.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe set to cost €160m
Kylian Mbappe, one of Real Madrid's longest-standing transfer targets, could be set to cost them a staggering €160m come summer. The Frenchman is out of contract at PSG in the summer of 2022 and they're trying to tie him down to a long-term deal to avoid losing him for free. The French champions have reportedly faced record losses of €240m this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 and could opt to cash in on Mbappe to offset some of the losses.
However, Real Madrid's financial situation is not ideal at the moment either, and Florentino Perez will reportedly have to part ways with two star players — including PSG target Vinicius Jr — to be able to afford Mbappe's asking price and his staggering salary of over €18m-a-season, which is what he currently earns in the French capital. It was also added that Mbappe sent out an SOS message to Real Madrid in order to find out about their stance on the transfer, and whether they can afford to make a move for him.
Also read: Update on Martin Odegaard's loan move, manager responds to Blancos rumours, and more
