Vinicius puts contract talks on ice until after the World Cup
Vinicius Junior says he won't discuss his Real Madrid future until Brazil's World Cup campaign is over. "Right now I'm focused on the national team. I'll talk about everything related to Real Madrid after the World Cup," he told reporters (1).
The timing is delicate. He's approaching the final year of his contract, and both Manchester clubs are circling.
Separately, Vinicius also said he's "at the most special and important moment of my career" and feeling at "the physical and technical level I've always dreamed of" ahead of Brazil's opener (8). That confidence is great for Brazil, but Madridistas will be holding their breath until he finally addresses where his club future lies.
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Rodri not happening, two other targets slipping away
Fabrizio Romano reports that Real Madrid will not make a bid for Rodri this summer, despite the presidential candidates floating his name (4).
Meanwhile, West Ham's Mateus Fernandes has "indicated" he wants Manchester United over Madrid, with the Hammers reportedly asking £80m (2) (6). And Arsenal are accelerating for Castilla product Nico Paz, potentially costing Madrid a homegrown talent they've been tracking (9) (10).
Not the transfer momentum fans were hoping for.
Rodrygo update: 'Everything is going as planned'
Three months after surgery on his ACL and meniscus, Rodrygo is optimistic. "Everything is going as planned," he said during his debut as a pundit on Brazilian TV coverage of the World Cup (3).
The injury ruled him out of the tournament, but his tone suggests a return to the pitch is on track.
Ancelotti runs Brazil presser in five languages
The former Madrid boss held his pre-match press conference ahead of Brazil's opener against Morocco on Saturday and answered questions in five different languages (7).
He also gave an update on Neymar, saying the forward is "working very hard to recover as quickly as possible" and could rejoin the group next week. A reminder of the man's class.
Aursnes calls Mourinho 'a very cool guy'
With José Mourinho expected to take over at Madrid if Florentino Pérez wins the presidential election, one of his former players weighed in. Aursnes described Mourinho as "a very cool guy" when asked about the potential Bernabéu return (5).
Light on substance, but every Mourinho whisper feeds the pre-election chatter.
Tevez nearly a Madridista in 2009
Carlos Tevez has revealed he had a deal sealed to join Real Madrid back in 2009, only for it to collapse when Ramón Calderón was sacked as president. "I spoke with Calderón at three in the morning; we had everything finalised," Tevez said (11).
One of those sliding-doors moments that still stings.
Fan reactions
The Modric retirement whispers after the World Cup have hit hard. One fan called him "one of the footballers that no one can dislike, not even rival fans" link. Meanwhile, a Madrid supporter wandered into the Man City subreddit asking what Bernardo Silva actually brings to midfield, adding "we severely lack an intelligent head in our midfield" link. The Tevez near-miss also resurfaced in the subreddit, with fans revisiting one of the stranger transfer what-ifs link.
