Arsenal and four other big European clubs show interest in Valverde after the Tchouaméni clash
Arsenal is one of five clubs interested in signing Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde this summer, according to a recent report.
Valverde had a clash with teammate Aurelien Tchouameni at Real’s training ground on Thursday. During the incident, Valverde slipped, hit his head on a table in the dressing room, and was taken to the hospital. The injury wasn’t caused by Tchouameni, and Valverde has said no punches were thrown.
He was diagnosed with a type of brain injury called cranioencephalic trauma and has been told to rest for 10 to 14 days, following usual medical advice. Real started disciplinary action against both players and fined them €500,000 each.
Tchouameni returned to training on Friday and played the full game during El Clasico on Sunday, where Real lost 2-0 to Barcelona. Since Real’s last game of the season is on May 24, which is just 13 days away, it’s possible Valverde has already played his final match for the club.
According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal really admire Valverde and want to bring the 27-year-old to North London this summer. Chelsea and Manchester City are also keeping an eye on him, and Paris Saint-Germain want him for their talented midfield as well. Meanwhile, South American news outlet Bitbol says Bayern Munich is the fifth big club interested, believing Valverde would be a perfect fit for Vincent Kompany’s team.
However, any transfer decisions might wait until Jose Mourinho’s expected arrival as Real Madrid’s new manager. Mourinho, who is currently with Benfica, has denied being close to returning to Real Madrid, 13 years after he left, but he’s reportedly had positive talks with club president Florentino Perez.
He’s said to have made 10 demands to improve the club once he takes charge and believes his personality, experience, and high standards would quickly bring order and harmony to the team, according to TEAMtalk.
When asked about the news on Sunday, Mourinho said: “People keep talking about Real Madrid, but honestly, I’m avoiding it. I haven’t had any contact with the president or any club official. At the end of the season, I don’t speak to anyone. I won’t have any contact with Real Madrid until their last league game against Estoril. After that, I’ll have one week to talk to whoever I need to, but until then, all the talk about meetings and calls is just speculation.”