Sevilla sporting director, Victor Orta, has claimed that they did not receive any offer from Real Madrid for their former goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. In fact, the only offer they had on the table was from the Saudi side Al Hilal.
Real Madrid found themselves in the thick of things following Thibaut Courtois’ potential season-ending injury.
With Andriy Lunin being the only plausible option at hand, the team from the capital city was forced to explore the market opportunities.
The likes of David de Gea and Bono were on the club’s radars, but the record European champions went for Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga instead.
The Spaniard joined Real Madrid on a season-long loan after almost agreeing terms with Bayern Munich earlier in the summer.
Madrid did not make an offer for Bono
Despite early media claims, Orta has revealed that Real Madrid never really made advancements towards signing Bounou.
Instead, it was Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia who stepped forward, putting forth a tangible proposal to secure his services.
“We did not receive any offer from Real Madrid for Bono. The only official offer came from Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia,” said Orta as quoted by AS.
Bono was Madrid’s first choice
While there might not have been an offer made, Real Madrid very much had Bono on their radars.
The goalkeeper himself revealed that he was Los Blancos’ first choice to replace Courtois, but concerns over his unavailability in early 2024 due to the Africa Cup of Nations led to them approaching Kepa.
“That’s what I understand. Afterwards, the board analysed the situation, saw that I could go to the Africa Cup and miss a lot of games in an important month for Real Madrid and it wasn’t possible,” the 32-year-old Moroccan international said.
Eventually, the keeper moved to the Middle East for a fee reported to be around €21 million.
As for Real Madrid, Arrizabalaga’s acquisition on loan does provide them an assurance at least for the rest of the season. The Spaniard is a reliable stopper and his previous La Liga experience is only an added bonus.
Be it for club or country, Jude Bellingham cannot stop scoring.
Having plundered five goals in four games for Real Madrid in La Liga in his debut season, the 20-year-old midfielder is now doing it for his country on the international stages.
Starting in the No. 10 role for the Three Lions against rivals Scotland in the 150th Anniversary Heritage Match at Hampden Park, the Real Madrid phenom found the back of the net to double his team’s lead.
Pouncing on a loose ball inside the box, Bellingham unleashed a powerful strike that left Angus Gunn in the Scotland goal with no chance.
It is Bellingham’s second goal for the England national team, coming in his 26th appearance for Gareth Southgate’s side.
The midfield prodigy is in contention to win the Golden Boy award and the Kopa Trophy and the way he has begun the season shows that he is a worthy contender for the prizes.