Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane insisted he intends not to add to his squad in the final week of the transfer window despite a mounting defensive crisis ahead of Sunday’s clash with Valencia (2015GMT).
The Frenchman will have just one fit central defender to choose from with Raphael Varane and Jesus Vallejo injured, whilst captain Sergio Ramos serves a one-match ban for picking up the 23rd red card of his career in a 3-0 win at Deportivo la Coruna last weekend.
“With the team I have, the squad we have right now, I don’t want anyone,” said Zidane on Saturday. “We are all ready.”
A groin problem will also keep Varane out of France’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Should Real not enter into the market, the back-to-back European champions will have made a profit in transfers this summer, whilst many of their rivals for the Champions League across the continent have spent hundreds of millions of euros.
Madrid have continued their recent policy of snapping up the best young talent in Spain by signing Dani Ceballos from Real Betis and making Theo Hernandez the first player to cross the Madrid divide from Atletico since 2000.
However, they have cashed in on the Premier League transfer boom with the sales of Alvaro Morata and Danilo to Chelsea and Manchester City respectively, whilst James Rodriguez joined Bayern Munich on a two-year loan deal.
Much of Madrid’s summer has also been dominated by rumours surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s future.
Ronaldo is reportedly unhappy at his treatment in Spain as he faces serious tax fraud allegations from public prosecutors and described a five-match ban he recently received from the Spanish football federation for pushing a referee as “persecution.”
However, Zidane has no doubt Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer is settled in the Spanish capital.
“There has been a lot of talk, but Cristiano is here and he won’t move from here,” added Zidane.
“This is his club, his team, his city. I think he is delighted with everything that he has here.”
AFP
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