With not a lot of time left before the summer transfer window slams shut, FC Barcelona are still working to finalise a couple of last-minute operations.
One such operation involves out-of-favour midfielder Marc Casado, with the Blaugrana keen on parting ways with the academy graduate and trim the squad during the final hours of the transfer window.
The Catalans have been working hard to find a solution for the midfielder, who has known his situation for months and has been ******* sing the various offers received with his representatives.
Now, according to SPORT, Deportivo La Coruna have made a strong late push to sign Casado on loan from Barcelona. The proposal has emerged almost at the last minute, but the midfielder is seriously considering it.
Deportivo La Coruna make a push for Casado. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

#casado #coruna #transfer #working

Real Madrid are aiming to make it three wins from three at the start of the 2026-27 season when they host Malaga at the Bernabeu on Sunday evening. Jose Mourinho has made a positive impression since returning to the club earlier this summer, although he will be after a more complete performers against the newly-promoted Andalusians.
It's been a busy eight days for Real Madrid. They started their season last Saturday with a narrow 2-1 win at Espanyol, before a much more convincing victory at home to Real Sociedad on Wednesday. They will hope to complete the week in style, and they are overwhelming favourites to return to La Liga summit with another three points – for a few hours at least.
Two players in particular have made excellent starts to the season for Real Madrid – those being Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe – and they will hope to continue their form against Malaga. The former is off the back of an excellent hat-trick in midweek, while Bellingham has registered one goal and two ***** ists in Los Blancos' first two matches.
For the first time in over eight years, this fixture is being played. Malaga's promotion back to La Liga was welcomed by a lot of Spanish football enjoyers, although they have not made the best start to life in the top flight with one draw (vs Deportivo La Coruna) and one defeat (vs Atletico Madrid) in their opening two matches. They will be massive underdogs at the Bernabeu, but if they are to produce a shock, their man to watch will be star striker Chupe – he scored 25 goals in the Segunda last season, while also netting their only goal of the current campaign against Deportivo last weekend.
Real Madrid will certainly fancy their chances of winning this one, which kicks off at the Bernabeu at 5pm CEST (4pm BST, 11am EDT, 8am PST).

#bernabeu

Real Madrid's start to life at the Santiago Bernabeu for the new season could not have gone any better as they destroyed Real Sociedad by a 4-1 scoreline in their first game in front of home fans.
Later today, they play their second consecutive clash at home, this time in an earlier kickoff against Malaga.
The newly promoted side have had a mixed start to life in the first division, losing to Atletico Madrid on Matchday 1 but salvaging a 1-1 draw against Deportivo de A Coruna in their subsequent game.
Needless to say, however, Real Madrid pose their biggest challenge yet, and it is safe to say that Jose Mourinho's men will be the overwhelming favourites coming into the game.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Malaga.

#game #life

Real Madrid academy graduate Manu Serrano is set to continue his development away from the Santiago Bernabeu, with the young left-back heading to Deportivo La Coruña in search of regular senior football.
According to MARCA, the 22-year-old will join Deportivo and initially link up with the club's reserve team.
The move is nevertheless understood to offer a clear pathway towards the first team, with his multi-year contract including the possibility of a promotion as early as next season.
For Serrano, the transfer brings an end to a long spell at the Real Madrid academy and opens the door to a new chapter at a club looking to establish itself again at the highest level of Spanish football.
Serrano joined Real Madrid's youth academy in 2018 after arriving from Getafe at the age of 14.

#team

Chelsea have provoked frustration among supporters by opting to rebrand their under-19 and under-21 teams. Going forward, the club will designate them as Cobham Next Gen (CNG).
The Blues boast one of the most renowned and successful youth systems in English soccer, having nurtured countless gifted players over the years. It appears that, under BlueCo's stewardship, the organization now seeks to create a distinct identity for their academy, which operates out of Cobham, Surrey.
The club maintains, via The Mirror, that Cobham Next Gen "accurately reflects the age profile" of the academy squad members and reinforces its standing.
Mykhailo Mudryk speaks out after Chelsea star's doping suspension is lifted
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang embraces new La Liga challenge with Deportivo La Coruña

#english

A member of the summer recruitment drive at La Liga giants Real Madrid is in line for a starting berth in the club's opening fixture of the new campaign.
That's according to Diario AS, who highlight Denzel Dumfries as the player in question.
Defender Dumfries was of course snapped up by the Bernabéu brass earlier this summer, in a cut-price deal from Italian champions Inter Milan. The Dutchman has since gone on to play a leading role for Real Madrid in pre-season, featuring from the off against all of Fiorentina, Ferencváros and Deportivo La Coruña.
And if the latest word stemming from the Spanish media is anything to go by, then this level of prominence is no coincidence…
Dumfries is already understood to have earned the full trust of new head coach José Mourinho. So much so that, as per a report from AS, despite competition from Trent Alexander-Arnold:

#real

Real Madrid's trip to Galicia for the Teresa Herrera Trophy will take place against a backdrop of growing tension at Deportivo La Coruña, reports Mundo Deportivo.
The Federation of Deportivo Supporters' Clubs, Old Faces and Riazor Blues have called on Deportivo supporters to stay away from the stadium for the clash with Real Madrid.
The groups are protesting against the conditions imposed on season-ticket holders in the Lower Marathon stand, which they believe are "discriminatory" and "unfair".
The supporters' groups want the Deportivo board to reconsider the measures affecting fans in the Lower Marathon section.
They argue that the club has moved too far away from the identity and traditions that have traditionally connected Deportivo with its supporters.

#real #lower #galicia

Real Madrid will play their penultimate pre-season friendly of the summer tomorrow when they take on Deportivo La Coruna in the Teresa Herrera Trophy match.
The Merengues will lock horns with the newly-promoted La Liga club at Estadio Riazon, returning to the Teresa Herrera Trophy after 13 years.
Ahead of the trip to Galicia for the friendly tomorrow, manager Jose Mourinho has announced the squad list of Real Madrid players who will be at his disposal for the match.
And, in what comes as a bit of a surprise, new summer signing Yan Diomande has not been called up for the trip.
After his arrival last week, the Ivorian winger, who cost €140 million including add-ons, was left out for the friendly against Ferencvaros, and it was widely expected that the 19-year-old would make his debut against Deportivo.

#real #deportivo #teresa #herrera

Real Madrid returned to training at Valdebebas on Monday as José Mourinho's squad continued preparations for Wednesday's Teresa Herrera Trophy clash against Deportivo La Coruña.
The session came after Madrid's friendly victory over Ferencvaros and included several notable additions to Mourinho's group.
Marc Cucurella and Ibrahima Konaté completed their first training session as Real Madrid players, while Kylian Mbappé returned to the team following his participation at the World Cup.
Ousmane Diomande and Thibaut Courtois also trained with the group after working individually in recent days. Diomande had spent his first few days at Real Madrid City training separately after completing his move from RB Leipzig last week, making Monday his first opportunity to work alongside his new teammates.
Aurélien Tchouaméni also began his preseason work on Monday, although the French midfielder trained indoors.

#training

A meeting between two teams who both endured difficult campaigns last season, albeit in different divisions, promises to be an intriguing one as St. Pauli play host to Fürth. Both sides will be desperate to kickstart their respective campaigns with a positive result and restore some confidence following their struggles last term.
A new-look St. Pauli side prepares to begin their 2. Bundesliga campaign following relegation from the Bundesliga last season. Former Karlsruher SC boss Marcel Rapp has been tasked with leading the club's bid for an immediate return to the top flight, while also overseeing a significant squad rebuild after 11 departures during the summer.
One of the club's new arrivals is former Fürth captain Branimir Hrgota, adding an extra layer of intrigue to Sunday's encounter.
St. Pauli made a flying start to their pre-season preparations, picking up four consecutive victories over Altona, Emden, Babelsberg and Gorica. A 4-1 defeat to Premier League side Bournemouth provided the only setback before a credible 2-2 draw with La Liga outfit Deportivo La Coruña brought their preparations to a close.
Head coach Rapp could not hide his excitement ahead of his competitive debut in the dugout:

#pauli

Lazio's hopes of signing Spanish striker Carlos Espi from Levante have faded, with Real Madrid pulling off the coup.
In recent weeks, the Biancocelesti were said to be tracking the 21-year-old centre-forward who played an instrumental role in Levante's survival last season. The young bomber netted 11 goals in 26 appearances, including decisive strikes towards the end of the campaign.
In addition to Lazio, the Spaniard had also attracted interest from the Premier League, with Hull City also on this trail. But on Thursday evening, Espi completed an out-of-the-blue transfer to Real Madrid, who identified him as the right replacement for Fulham-bound Gonzalo Garcia. The 15-time European champions confirmed the move with the following statement (via ESPN).
Real Madrid C.F. and Levante U.D. have agreed to the transfer of Carlos Espí, who will be tied to our club for the next five seasons, until June 30, 2031
Unfortunately for Lazio fans, missing out on transfer targets has become the norm rather than the exception. This summer, the management failed to finalize a deal with Bayern Munich for Jonathan Asp Jensen, who was keen to join the Italian capital side, but eventually had to accept a move to Deportivo La Coruña.

#madrid #espi #levante #spanish

Roma are working on the final details for Konstantinos Koulierakis from Wolfsburg for €15m plus €3m add-ons, while Angelino is ready for Deportivo La Coruna and Riccardo Pagano sold to Cesena.
The Giallorossi have brought in Santiago Castro from Bologna, but need to make sales too in order to free up transfer funds.
EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS – AUGUST 02: Konstantinos Koulierakis of Feyenoord in action during the pre-season friendly match between Feyenoord and VfL Wolfsburg at Phillips Stadium on August 02, 2025 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Multiple sources including Fabrizio Romano and Sport Mediaset note that the €15m deal has been agreed with Wolfsburg for defender Koulierakis, plus up to €3m in bonuses.
He is eager to make the transfer and should not have a problem agreeing personal terms, ready to fly out for his medical at the end of the week.

#eindhoven

Real Madrid have announced that they will face Ferencvaros on August 8th in a friendly which will be played at the Groupama Arena in Budapest.
Real Madrid is scheduled to play a preparatory match against Ferencváros on Saturday, August 8, at 7:00 p.m. Mourinho’s squad will travel to Budapest, Hungary, for the friendly encounter at Groupama Arena, home to the Hungarian club, which accommodates 22,000 spectators. This will mark the team’s inaugural appearance at the venue.
Source: Realmadrid.com
Los Blancos will face Fiorentina on August 1st and also Deportivo La Coruña on August 12th in what’s expected to be the team’s final preseason game. Still, the full preseason schedule has not been published, so the club could very well announce a few more preseason games given that their LaLiga opener will take place on August 22nd against Espanyol.

#august #madrid

Real Madrid began their pre-season under new manager Jose Mourinho this Monday, with the players undergoing medical examinations and taking part in their first training session.
Preparations continued today at Valdebebas as the Portuguese tactician continues to work with the handful of first-team players at his disposal, along with a number of young talents from the academy.
As things stand, Real Madrid have officially announced only two pre-season friendly matches for this summer: one against Fiorentina in Austria, and another vs newly-promoted La Liga club Deportivo La Coruna.
Now, according to BILD in Germany, Real Madrid could add another pre-season friendly fixture to their calendar against Schalke.
According to the report, the newly-promoted Bundesliga side is planning a high-profile friendly against Real Madrid at the Veltins Arena, with the match provisionally scheduled for August 16.

Lazio are keeping tabs on Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Luka Stojkovic, who also has other suitors around Europe, including Fulham.
On Thursday, Lazio sporting director Angelo Fabiani landed in Split for a meeting with Dinamo Zagreb officials. The discussions centered around Sergi Dominguez, a young Spanish defender who emerged as the Aquile's first choice to replace Mario Gila, who has been sold to AC Milan.
According to Il Messaggero, the two parties were able to close the gap, but they have yet to reach a definitive agreement for the 21-year-old defender. While Dinamo Zagreb agreed to lower their asking price to €12 million, Lazio are still offering a fixed fee of €9-10 million, while proposing to pay the remaining part through bonuses.
The Roman newspaper adds that Fabiani also seized the opportunity to enquire about Stojkovic, an attacking midfielder highly admired by Gennaro Gattuso. After all, the Biancocelesti missed out on signing Bayern Munich's Jonathan Asp Jensen, who will instead sign for Deportivo La Coruña, so they're searching the market for an alternative.
However, signing Stojkovic won't be easy, as he's coming off a sensational campaign that piqued interest in his services. The 22-year-old delivered 13 goals and 12 ***** ists last term, playing an integral role in Dinamo's domestic double triumph.

Iraq held Spain to a 1-1 draw at the Estadio de Riazor in their final friendly on home soil ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ferran Torres opened the scoring after latching onto Dani Olmo’s pass and dashing towards goal from the halfway line, but it was Merchas Doski’s stunning strike that will be replayed over and over as the 26-year-old’s first-ever international goal dragged Iraq level.
Spain remain unbeaten in regulation time across their last 29 matches, but will be looking to improve on back-to-back draws when they face Peru in Mexico next week.
The first men’s international match at the Estadio de Riazor since September 2009 was cast into doubt when the stadium suffered damage during Deportivo La Coruña’s promotion celebrations, although it was deemed safe by authorities ahead of Thursday’s kick-off.
Spain started well in their final friendly on home soil ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Alex Baena’s right-footed strike testing Ahmed Basil inside the opening 10 minutes.