Real Madrid round-up: Morata, Benzema, Danilo, Ceballos

With the new season almost upon us, we bring you some tapas-sized pieces of news on the reigning Spanish and European champions, today Thursday 20 July 2017.

Morata almost a Chelsea player

Although Madrid's young striker, Álvaro Morata, had flown out to join the rest of the squad in Los Angeles - when it had previously looked as though he would have missed that to join Manchester United - it did turn out to be a farewell trip. The player spoke with AS journalist, Carlos Forjanes, at the airport before flying to London to complete his medical and sign on the lucrative dotted line. in doing so becoming the most expensive transfer of a Spanish player ever.

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New-boy Ceballos presented at the Bernabéu

Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Time: 13:00 CEST. Occasion: the presentation of Dani Ceballos to the awaiting press. There will be the customary kicking of a ball on the pitch, and we're confident the talented, creative midfielder will cope with this better than his defensive teammate Theo Hernández. Poor Theo. We'll bring you all the best pictures and video later in the day.

Benzema outlasts them all

With Morata's exit to Chelsea, he joins a growing list of strikers who have come to Madrid to challenge for the main role during the time of Karim Benzema but left without pushing him aside. Despite some mixed season with Los Blancos the Frenchman has seen off Emmanuel Adebayor, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernández and Gonzalo Higuaín who left the club for Napoli in 2013 before going on to lead the line for Juventus in 2016. That was when Morata returned to Madrid for what has turned out to be a single year of cameo and rotational appearances.

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LaLiga fixtures to be announced

Tomorrow at 12:30 CEST is the confirmed new time for the 2017/18 schedule to be revealed. Assuming the format is the same as before, the teams will be drawn out to decide the first weekends fixtures following which the big computer will churn out the rest of the seasons clashes. Then you can start checking flights for a trip to Spain...

Danilo not yet a Citizen

Real Madrid full-back, Danilo Luiz da Silva, was expected by most to be at Stamford Bridge by now, and as it has transpired, would have been playing alongside his teammate at the Bernabéu. The player had agreed terms with the dark Blues but it now looks as though he'll be wearing the Sky Blue of Manchester City.  With what we've seen so far in this transfer market, until the ink is on the paper we will not be convinced. You can check out his best bits in this video.