Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.
It seems as if Spain can do no wrong in international football currently. Even with just four players who started the final at Euro 2024, a number of key players out, and despite giving away an 85th minute equaliser, they still beat Switzerland this week. They qualified for the Nations League as top seeds in their group, winning five of their six games.
Bayern Munich loanee Bryan Zaragoza gave away the penalty and scored the winning penalty, which he won in the 93rd minute. That probably wasn’t the reason that Bayern are paying attention to the Spanish news. Real Madrid are courting Florian Wirtz, Jonathan Tah, Xabi Alonso and Alphonso Davies, who are all on the agenda for the Bavarians. To make matters more complicated, Barcelona are also in for Tah, and reportedly very advanced, and the assumption is the Davies deal is done to Los Blancos.
Alonso has been heavily tipped to join Los Blancos next summer during this international break, but reports from the capital say he will not make a decision until March. The big story in the Spanish capital though is that President Florentino Perez is considering changing the club ownership model to a shareholder company, rather than fan-owned, which would mean major changes.
Robert Lewandowski on the hardest challenge Lamine Yamal will face. #FCBarcelona pic.twitter.com/d0lYp2hlQD
— Football España (@footballespana_) November 21, 2024
Tottenham Hotspur right-back Pedro Porro also continues to express his desire to play for Real Madrid in not so subtle ways. The problem is that they believe Manchester City or Manchester United are more likely destinations, as Trent Alexander-Arnold continues at the forefront of their shortlist.
Atletico Madrid are also facing career-defining changes. This week it emerged that the arrival of Director of Football Carlos Bucero has meant Atletico are now looking for an eventual Diego Simeone replacement, and will likely see the exit of Sporting Director Andrea Berta. Aston Villa are tracking Osasuna centre-back Enzo Boyomo who has impressed beyond his €25m release clause, and Real Valladolid are also open to selling star winger Raul Moro, who could make an interesting addition to a Premier League side.
Welcome to the silly section. The fact that Sevilla Sporting Director Victor Orta turned down the chance to sign Viktor Gyokeres for just €14m while at Leeds United looks relatively tame compared to the other stories. Elsewhere, Athletic Club cult hero has revealed that his alopecia almost led to him losing out on his shot at the big time, and former adult actor Mia Khalifa has denied relations with former Manchester City and current Atletico star Julian Alvarez.
The post Inside Spain: Real Madrid ownership change, Pedro Porro and adult actress denies relations with star forward appeared first on CaughtOffside.
