Inside Spain is a weekly installment brought to you by Football España, giving you an insight into all the top stories coming out of the rich and intense climates of La Liga and beyond.
They were not the headlines that Kylian Mbappe wanted to make at Real Madrid. The striker skipped international duty with France in order to restart his fitness, and on his days off went to Stockholm, and the hangover lasted a whole week.
Mbappe was caught by paparazzi during his night out with Bayer Leverkusen’s Nordi Mukiele, and was linked by Swedish media on Monday to an ongoing rape investigation at the hotel where he was staying. His lawyer has vehemently denied any involvement in the case, suggesting he was set up. Mbappe is convinced his former club Paris Saint-Germain were behind it as part of a smear campaign.
It’s fair to say Don Carlo had no problem with Mbappe’s trip to Sweden. #RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/P4ybOLrMzf
— Football Spain (@footballespana_) October 18, 2024
Liverpool also tried to open contract talks with Trent Alexander-Arnold during the break but failed to make the progress they had hoped for, and reports in Spain say the Reds are now closing in on the idea they may lose him. One of the alternatives they have been linked with is Jeremie Frimpong, who is also being monitored by the Whites, as is Tottenham Hotspur right-back Pedro Porro.
As Los Blancos focus on the right-back area, Barca are reportedly looking to steal their deal for Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies. Another star without a contract next summer has already agreed a deal with Real Madrid, but Barcelona have contacted his agent to see if they could hijack the deal. That being said, I would too listen to Manchester United if they make the right offer.
Luis Enrique is a divisive figure in Spain, but it’s hard to think there’s anything but empathy for him in this case.
He was asked if he felt lucky or unlucky, considering that his daughter Xana died at the age of 9 from bone cancer.pic.twitter.com/qZs7ZovYhz
— Football Spain (@footballespana_) October 16, 2024
Maybe it can solve your problems. Donny van de Beek could not, and perhaps more worryingly he couldn’t even explain why United fight so much He moved to Girona, and has now made three consecutive starts. On the Valencia coast, owner Peter Lim is ready to sell Valencia after about five years of fans asking him to do so, but for the handsome sum of €350-400 million.
On a lighter note, if Mbappe had a bad week, then spare a thought for Vinicius Tobias. The former Real Madrid right-back spent 2.5 years on loan at the Bernabéu, playing for his Spanish side before returning to Shakhtar Donetsk this summer. In February, in Madrid, he had announced that he and his partner Ingrid Lima were expecting. Last week, Maite came into the world, and what she did not expect was to discover that the child was not hers, after receiving a tattoo of his name.
