Hola Madridistas. And welcome to Saturday’s Real Madrid blog.
Matt Jones and the rest of the Sport360 team will be here throughout the day, bringing you the latest Los Blancos news, views and gossip.
As ever, get in touch with us on Twitter and Facebook.
7:20pm – Mariano prepares to be unleashed again
Summer returnee Mariano could make his second Real Madrid debut after he was named in the squad to play at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday night (22:45 UAE).
Find more squad news here.
3:15pm – Tuchel told Real Madrid target Neymar he would not play v Saint Etienne
Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel said he told star striker Neymar he was not going to play ahead of the club’s 4-0 victory over Saint Etienne in Ligue 1 on Friday – even though the Real Madrid target wanted to feature.
Read the full story here.
1:47pm – Real Madrid have £330m to spend on ‘galacticos’
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is plotting the club’s next big signing, with £330million earmarked for a ‘galactico’, according to Spanish publication AS.
Los Blancos were looking to bring in a big-name player in the summer following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus, with the Spanish giants linked with Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Eden Hazard.
Read more here.
12:13pm – Are trio already untouchable at Real Madrid under Julen Lopetegui?
We’re early into the Julen Lopetegui reign at Real Madrid but there are already signs of who could become his ‘untouchables’ at the Bernabeu.
Of the first four games, seven players have started all of the games. But only three of them have played every minute – Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema.
Read more on this story here.
10:55am – Lopetegui says Karim Benzema is “in his peak”
Julen Lopetegui is not surprised by Karim Benzema’s Real Madrid resurgence, claiming the Frenchman is “in his peak” after a fine start to the 2018/19 season.
The 30-year-old has scored four goals in his opening three La Liga games, with the former Lyon man seemingly enjoying a share of the spotlight following Cristiano Ronaldo’s summer departure to Juventus.
Read the full story here.