Irish football fans will not get to see Brazilian Kaka in action against Shamrock Rovers at their Tallaght Stadium on Monday next, after Real Madrid’s €67million signing from AC Milan was given extra-time off to recover from the Confederations Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the world’s most expensive player, is in the 31-man squad after his €94million move from Manchester United, as is Karim Benzema, who recently arrived from Lyon in a deal worth up to €41million.
Spanish international goalkeeper Iker Casillas, new defensive acquisition Raul Albiol and full-back Sergio Ramos also played in the Confederations Cup in South Africa and will return to training on July 27th.
Real arrive in Dublin this evening for a nine-day training camp that begins at Carton House, Co Kildare, tomorrow morning. No training sessions will be open to the public.
Meanwhile, director general Jorge Valdano has revealed the club needs to sell if it is to add more players to the squad during the transfer window.
Real have targeted Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso but are not in a position to pay the €40million being asked by the Anfield club, though the Liverpool Echo reported today that Alonso has told manager Rafael Benitez he wants to leave, which may force the club to revise their asking price.
"We need money to continue being active in the market. And at the moment to get money we have to sell players," Valdano said.
"We need to trim at least five players from the squad. The priority over the next few weeks is the sale of players and not the signing of new ones."
Real have six Dutch players, including strikers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Klaas Jan Huntelaar, winger Arjen Robben and midfielder Wesley Sneijder in their ranks, and Spanish media has speculated the quartet may leave.
All four, and compatriots Royston Drenthe and Rafael van der Vaart, are in the squad to travel to Ireland.
Huntelaar, who only arrived in the Spanish capital during the last winter transfer window, has been linked with Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart, although he is reportedly unhappy with their wage offer.
Ideally, Real would raise enough money to buy another central midfielder and a defender, he said, and hinted that Sneijder could stay on for this season.
"We need two players for each position," he said. "There are some positions where we have four players and others where we have one. Sneijder is a player that at the moment is important for the club."
Real Madrid squad to travel to Ireland:Michael Salgado, Kepler Laverandelima, Fernando Gago, Mahamadou Diarra, Lassana Diarra, Raul, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Marcelo Antonio, Jose Maria Gutierrez, Royston Drenthe, Gabriel Heinze, Ruud VanNistelrooy, Klas Jan Hentelaar, Gonzalo Higuain, Christoph Metzelder, Miguel Torres, Rafael Van der Vaart, Javier Garcia, Jerzy Dudek, Karim Benzema, Ezequiel Marcelo Garay, Alvaro Negredo, Agustin Garcia, Miguel Palanca, Marcos Tebar, Tomas Mejias, Javier Velayos, Daniel Parejo.
