La Liga

Real Madrid's £130m Alvarez bid rejected

Julian Alvarez helped Atletico Madrid reach the Champions League semi-finals

Real Madrid have had a 150m euro (£130m) offer for striker Julian Alvarez rejected by city rivals Atletico Madrid.

Real president Florentino Perez last week pledged to make a 150m euro offer for an unnamed “galactico” player if re-elected to his position.

Having successfully retained control on Sunday, Perez made good on his promise.

However, the move for the 26-year-old Argentina forward was turned down by his club, who cited Alvarez’s release clause of 500m euros (£430m).

In a statement, Real said: “Following the meeting of the board of directors held today, it has made an offer of 150 million euros to Club Atletico de Madrid for the federative rights of the player Julian Alvarez.

“After reviewing and evaluating the offer, Club Atletico de Madrid has expressed its gratitude for the proposal, made within the framework of the good relations between both clubs, and has rejected it, referring to the player’s release clause.”

Atletico quoted the Real Madrid statement on X alongside a series of laughing emojis.

In a subsequent post they stated: “You must have confused education with gratitude, but to leave no doubt: we don’t thank you for anything.

“We neither study nor consider any offer for Julian. How could we not get along, when you make us laugh even more than Barcelona does.”

In a final post, Atletico added: “P.S. Taking advantage of the good relationship with your new president, let’s see if you stop ‘stealing’ players from our Academy. Thanks a lot, @realmadrid!”

Former Manchester City player Alvarez, who won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, joined the La Liga club in an £81.5m deal in 2024.

He scored 20 goals in 49 appearances for Atletico last season as they finished fourth in the table and reached the Champions League semi-finals.

Real have also confirmed the anticipated news that head coach Alvaro Arbeloa will leave the club, with Jose Mourinho set to be appointed in his place.

Arbeloa was promoted from his role leading Real Madrid B in January, replacing former Liverpool team-mate Xabi Alonso, and confirmed before the end of the season that he would not continue following a trophyless campaign.

Re-appointing Benfica head coach Mourinho, who led the Spanish giants from 2010 to 2013, was a key manifesto point in Perez’s election campaign. Mourinho signed a three-year deal in May that was conditional on Perez winning an extended stay.

“Real Madrid is deeply grateful to Alvaro Arbeloa, who throughout his time at the club, from his time in our youth academy, has consistently demonstrated loyalty, commitment, and professionalism. He exemplifies the values of our club.”

“Real Madrid, which will always be his home, wishes Alvaro Arbeloa and his entire family the best of luck in this new stage of their lives.”

Mourinho set for Real after Perez re-elected

Jose Mourinho’s last trophy was the Europa Conference League with Roma in 2022

Jose Mourinho is set to be confirmed as Real Madrid’s new head coach after Florentino Perez was re-elected as the club’s president until 2030.

Mourinho, 63, signed a three-year deal last month to become head coach of Real, but his contract would only be valid if Perez retained his role.

The 79-year-old, who obtained 65% of the vote, has been in office since 2009 and announced the election during an extraordinary news conference last month.

“We have won the elections and will continue working to keep winning titles,” Perez said. “I am still here and I am here to defend Real Madrid.

“We will continue working so that Real Madrid keeps winning titles, and we will fight until the end to achieve the 16th European Cup.

“We will continue to take pride in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the best stadium in the world.

“Proud to have the best players in the world, proud to welcome back one of the best coaches in the world, a Madridista like Jose Mourinho. And rest assured, with me as president, Real Madrid has been, is, and will always remain owned by its members.”

Perez appointed Mourinho as Real Madrid boss in 2010

Real Madrid is owned entirely by members who elect the president, with this the first presidential election in 20 years to feature a challenger - renewable energy magnate Enrique Riquelme.

Perez was expected to win and promised to make a club record offer for an unnamed “great player” if re-elected.

He took 100% of the in-person and postal votes counted, gaining 21,741 votes to Riquelme’s 11,814 (35%).

Mourinho is leaving his role as manager of Benfica, where he took charge in September and led them to third place in the Primeira Liga this season.

In his previous spell in charge of Real between 2010 and 2013, the Portuguese won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

Mourinho will replace Alvaro Arbeloa, who only took charge in January following Xabi Alonso’s departure as boss.

Real ended their 2025-26 campaign without silverware, with rivals Barcelona sealing the La Liga title with a 2-0 El Clasico victory.

Alaba passed fit but Baumgartner out of World Cup

Austria captain David Alaba has been given the all-clear to travel for the World Cup after picking up a muscle injury on Monday but midfielder Christoph Baumgartner has been ruled out of the tournament.

Former Bayern Munich and Real Madrid defender Alaba was substituted at half-time of Austria’s 1-0 friendly win against Tunisia but has been passed fit to travel to the United States with the rest of the squad.

It is not such positive news for RB Leipzig midfielder Baumgartner, however.

The 26-year-old suffered a thigh muscle injury during Monday’s pre-match warm-up and has been ruled out of the World Cup, the country’s football association confirmed on Tuesday.

Baumgartner is one of Austria’s more important players and enjoyed a fantastic season in Germany, scoring 17 goals and providing nine assists in all competitions for the Bundesliga club.

“This is of course very bitter news for Christoph and for us as a team,” coach Ralf Rangnick said in a statement.

“He is an important player and a central personality within our team. Now our full support is for his recovery.”

Austria’s World Cup campaign begins against Jordan on 16 June before taking on reigning world champions Argentina on 22 June and rounding off against Algeria on 28 June.

Mourinho signs three-year deal to return as Real Madrid boss

Jose Mourinho has signed a three-year deal to become Real Madrid’s new head coach.

He will not be officially unveiled until after the club’s presidential election, which is due to take place on 7 June.

However, the 63-year-old’s contract will only be valid if current president Florentino Perez remains in his role.

Perez announced the election during an extraordinary news conference earlier this month in which he criticised journalists and La Liga and spoke of an “organised campaign” against him.

The 79-year-old has been in office since 2009 - and was previously president between 2000 and 2006 - but has overseen two successive trophyless seasons.

Renewables tycoon Enrique Riquelme is standing against Perez in the first presidential election in 20 years featuring a challenger, although Perez is expected to still win.

Mourinho is leaving his role as manager of Benfica, where he took charge in September and led them to third place in the Primeira Liga this season.

In his previous spell in charge of Real between 2010 and 2013, the Portuguese won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

Mourinho will replace Alvaro Arbeloa, who only took charge in January following Xabi Alonso’s departure as boss.

Real ended their 2025-26 campaign trophyless, with rivals Barcelona sealing the La Liga title with a 2-0 El Clasico victory.

Los Blancos’ Champions League run also ended with a 6-4 aggregate defeat by German champions Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

After leaving Real in 2013, Mourinho returned to England for a second stint at Chelsea, winning the third of his three Premier League titles, plus the EFL Cup, in the 2014-15 season.

Following his departure from the Blues by mutual consent in 2015, Mourinho joined Manchester United on a three-year deal in 2016.

He won the Europa League, EFL Cup and Community Shield during his first season at Old Trafford, but was sacked in December 2018 after a poor run of results.

Mourinho also had spells at Tottenham, Serie A side Roma, where he won the Europa Conference League in 2022, and Turkish club Fenerbahce, before taking over at Benfica.

Mourinho’s entire managerial philosophy - the siege mentality, the us-against-the-world framing, the weaponisation of grievance, the use of media as the enemies - is perfectly calibrated for the climate Perez has spent years cultivating at Los Blancos.

A president who is highly critical of referees, who believes the media wants to destroy him, and Barcelona are favoured by La Liga has finally found his ideal coach.

The paranoia runs in the corridors of power at the Bernabeu and will now be in the dugout with Mourinho - although, in fact, predecessor Arbeloa has bought that vision of the world already.

That, more than anything, is why this appointment makes sense in Perez’s mind.

Madrid’s dressing room is fractured. There have been fights between players. Vinicius Jr got what he wanted when Alonso was sacked as manager. Kylian Mbappe is not loved and seems a strange body in the club.

Then, added to that, a squad that finished a second consecutive season without a major trophy.

Into this chaos walks a man with an iron fist, a famous surname and zero tolerance for insubordination. For a president who cannot control his own stars, the appeal of Mourinho is obvious.

But appetite is not the same as wisdom. And before Madrid celebrates the return of the ‘Special One’, it is worth asking a harder question: will he make the same mistakes again?

The logic behind Real Madrid’s decision is clear. The club are not simply searching for a tactician. They are looking for a manager capable of restoring authority, identity and emotional control to a fractured squad after a turbulent season.

With the dressing room in turmoil and the club’s reputation on the line, Real need a strong leader to steer the team back on course next season.

Against that backdrop, Perez is likely to view Mourinho as the ideal figure to restore order and authority within the dressing room.

The club will hope he can rebuild a side that fights collectively rather than individually, and manage some of football’s biggest personalities, several of whom have faced criticism this season for acting egotistically.

Mourinho’s appointment will also come with the expectation to deliver success.

Real have gone two consecutive seasons without a trophy, a rare drought by the club’s high standards.

They are performing well below expectations and the pressure, therefore, on Mourinho to help them regain domestic and European dominance will be immense.

Sarri leaves Lazio for second time by mutual consent

Lazio head coach Maurizio Sarri has left the Italian club by mutual consent after one year in charge.

The 67-year-old former Chelsea manager returned for a second spell as Lazio boss last summer, after previously spending three years with the Serie A side from 2021 to 2024.

But following a ninth-placed league finish this season and a 2-0 Coppa Italia final defeat by Inter Milan, Lazio confirmed they had parted ways with Naples-born Sarri.

“S.S. Lazio announces that a mutual agreement has been reached to terminate the contracts of head coach Maurizio Sarri and his coaching staff,” the statement read.

The club also posted a video on X with the caption: “Thank you for everything, Commander.”

Sarri first joined Lazio in June 2021 and led them to second place in the 2022-23 season, which was their best league finish since winning the title in 1999-2000.

However, he resigned a less than year later after Lazio suffered a fifth defeat in six games in all competitions.

Italian media reports say Sarri will soon take over at Atalanta, whose current coach is Raffaele Palladino, while former Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso is the favourite to replace Sarri at Lazio.