Real Madrid round-up: Courtois, Modric, Roma, Raúl de Tomás...
Our daily roundup of news surrounding the team as they ready themselves for tonight's ICC friendly against Roma at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Too many keepers if Courtois arrives
Real Madrid will have a surplus of goalkeepers if Thibaut Courtois ends up joining from Chelsea this month. Keylor Navas, who has been the team's first choice between the posts for the past three seasons, has two years left on his contract and says he is keen to honour them and fight for his place if a new keeper arrives. If Courtois does join then the Costa Rican will have to earn his place but would likely be demoted to second choice and find game time restricted to cup competitions. Courtois' arrival would almost certainly signal the end of Kiko Casilla's time at the Bernabéu. Since joining from Espanyol, Casilla has always been in Keylor's shadow and with another keeper ahead of him in the pecking order, he would be obliged to look for another club. Several clubs have stated an interest in the 31-year-old but the only obstacle would be meeting his high wage demands. It's not yet known what Madrid have planned for ecent addition Andriy Lunin. At the moment, he hasn't been assigned a squad number which means he might not be registered with the first team squad this season and could be sent out on loan. As for Luka Zidane, the club is trying to find a club to take him on loan, whether they get Courtois or not.
The transfer window in England closes at midnight on Thursday but that shouldn't affect Madrid's pursuit of Courtois. It means Chelsea only have a couple of days to find a replacement, if they decide to pay Kepa Arrizabalaga's buy-out. Madrid will have until 31 August, when the subscription period closes in Spain, to sign Courtois.
Modric poses in the third kit
Luka Modric's future has been the subject of much speculation over the past fortnight but the sight of the Croatian ace posing in Madrid's new eco-friendly third strip could be taken as meaning he is staying in the Spanish capital. Modric arrived back in Madrid yesterday and reported for duty in Valdebebas this morning.
Enquiries for Raúl de Tomás
Sporting Clube de Portugal have been in touch with Real Madrid with a view to taking Raúl de Tomás on loan, according to reports in O Jogo. The 23-year-old forward is under contract with Madrid until June 2023 but is expected to be farmed out for the 2018/19 season.
Roma up next
Lopetegui took his players through one final workout at the Red Bull Arena yesterday - the final dress rehearsal for Madrid's penultimate friendly of the summer - tonight's International Champions Cup clash with AS Roma. The game kicks off at 02:00 hours CEST at the MetLife stadium. Madrid's last encounter with the Italians was back in the 2015/16 season in the Last 16 of the Champions League with Los Blancos winning 2-0 home and away.
Week 4 fixture in LaLiga
LaLiga have announced the dates and times for all of the Week 4 fixtures in which Real Madrid are guests of Athletic Club. One of the oldest fixtures in the Spnaish league, this will be the 88th time the two clubs have met in Bilbao. A 20:45 kick-off has been scheduled for Saturday 15th September.
New pitch laid at the Bernabéu
While the squad have been away on tour, Paul Burgess and his team have been hard at work in the blistering Madrid heat preparing the Bernabéu pitch for the new season. Work laying the new turf finished yesterday and as ever, the baize-like playing surface looks pristine and is ready for the first home game - Saturday's Trofeo Bernabéu date with AC Milan.
Happy Birthday
Dani Ceballos celebrated his 22nd birthday today in New York. There has been much speculation about his future but for now, it looks like Lopetegui, who knows the player well from Spain's youth categories, is counting on him for the new season and may even hand him a more high profile role within the side.
Theo set for San Sebastián
Madrid are close to closing Theo Hernández's loan to Real Sociedad. The two clubs have yet to reach an agreement on how the left-back's salary will be paid - the Donostiarras say they cannot meet the player's 5 million euro wage demands but are willing to go halves. Madrid would rather La Real honour Theo's salary in full but will probably end up having to pay a percentage.