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Williams signs new Bilbao deal
Inaki Williams has signed a new 9-year contract with Athletic Bilbao following speculation linking him with Manchester United on Deadline Day.
His new deal with the La Liga club could keep him at the San Mames Stadium until June 2028 and includes a £125 million release clause.
Williams was one of several strikers linked with a move to Old Trafford, according to reports in Spain.
The Bilbao-born forward scored 15 goals in 41 appearances in Spain last season.
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Hazard suffers injury blow
Eden Hazard has picked up an untimely hamstring injury, with the Belgian set to see his competitive debut for Real Madrid delayed.
The Blancos are set to open their 2019-2020 La Liga campaign away at Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Hazard, fresh from a €100 million transfer to Santiago Bernabeu from Chelsea, would have been hoping to figure prominently in that fixture.
He is, however, set to be restricted to a spectator role after suffering an unfortunate knock.
Real have confirmed that the 28-year-old is facing up to a spell on the sidelines.
Goal has learned that Hazard will be ruled out for between 3 and 4 weeks.
If that proves to be the case, then he will be missing for Madrid until after the first international break of the 2019-2020 campaign.
Before domestic football shuts down, Real are due to take in meetings with Celta, Real Valladolid and Villarreal.
A home date with Levante is due to be staged on 14 September, with it possible that Hazard could come back into contention for that contest.
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Garcia Toral sacked by Valencia
Marcelino Garcia Toral has been sacked as Valencia head coach just 3 matches into the new La Liga season.
The 54-year-old was dismissed on Wednesday following a reported falling out with club owner Peter Lim.
The owner has been battling with the club's sporting side for months as Lim has looked for more control over player transfers and sporting decisions.
Former FC Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder Albert Celades, who was an assistant coach to Julen Lopetegui at the Santiago Bernabeu last year, has been tipped to take over at Mestalla.
Marcelino was appointed as Valencia coach in May 2017 and led them to a 4h place finish.
His position came under threat 12 months ago during a difficult start to 2018-2019, but the club kept faith in the former Villarreal coach and were rewarded when they ended the season by winning the Copa del Rey Final against FC Barcelona and clinching a Champions League spot.
Valencia have taken 4 points from 3 games this term but it was reported in Spain that Lim called club president Anil Murthy for an emergency meeting in Singapore on Wednesday after deciding to sack Marcelino.
Lim, who purchased the club in August 2014, also owns a 40% share in League 2 side Salford City alongside co-owners Phil Neville, Gary Neville, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, who each own 10%.
There are also suggestions sporting director Mateu Alemany could be dismissed.
Marcelino's sacking comes at a vital time for Valencia, who are set to visit Barcelona this weekend following the conclusion of the international break.
After that Valencia are set to head to London to face off with Chelsea to start their Champions League campaign.
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Marcelo ruled out of PSG clash
Real Madrid have confirmed that Marcelo will not play a part in a Champions League clash at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday after sustaining a neck injury.
The Brazil international appeared to suffer the issue in the first half of a 3-2 victory over Levante on Saturday, falling straight onto his back after attempting a shot at goal.
The 31-year-old completed the match, but Madrid have announced on Monday afternoon that he will be unavailable for the trip to France.
Marcelo joins Isco Alarcon, Luka Modric and Marco Asensio on the treatment table, with Zinedine Zidane facing an injury crisis at Santiago Bernabeu.
Brahim Diaz and Fede Valverde are unlikely to play a part at Parc des Princes either, with both men not expected back until the end of the month as they continue to recover from respective knocks.
Club captain Sergio Ramos and Nacho Fernandez will also be missing from Madrid's latest matchday squad through suspension.
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Hazard left out of Madrid squad for Mallorca game
Eden Hazard has been left out of the Real Madrid squad for Saturday's La Liga clash against Real Mallorca.
The Spanish league leaders face an away trip to struggling Mallorca with an already depleted squad, with reports suggesting that the Belgian has been excused following the birth of his 4th child.
Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos, Luca Modric and Lucas Vazquez had all been ruled out of the encounter by coach Zinedine Zidane, while Daniel Carvajal has been rested.
Hazard was kept out of the first 3 league games of the season after completing a €100 million move from Chelsea in the summer transfer window.
The Belgium international returned to action in mid-September and has since made 6 appearances in La Liga and the Champions League.
Hazard netted his first goal for Los Blancos 2 weeks ago when he struck against Granada, following that up with his first assist as Zidane's team won 4-2.
Mariano Diaz has taken the former Chelsea star's place in the squad, joining an attack that includes Karim Benzema, Luka Jovic, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo de Goes, while Brahim Diaz has also been included.
There is some good news for Zidane, however, as he welcomes left-backs Marcelo and Ferland Mendy back into the squad.
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Costa faces 3 months out
Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa has suffered a neck injury that could require surgery and sideline him for around 3 months.
Costa had been feeling discomfort in the neck and upper back area in recent days.
The former Chelsea forward, 31-year-old, appeared in Atletico training earlier this week after featuring on Sunday for 10 minutes off the bench in the 3-1 La Liga win over Espanyol.
Atletico Madrid say that X-rays on Thursday showed Costa has a herniated cervical disc, adding that he will be assessed by neurosurgery specialists to determine what treatment he will undergo.
If surgery is needed, Costa, who has 2 goals in 15 appearances for the Spanish club this term, could be sidelined until 2020.
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Rodriguez could miss rest of 2019
Real Madrid attacking midfielder James Rodriguez is likely to be out of action for the rest of the year after suffering knee ligament damage on international duty.
Real did not say how long the midfielder would be sidelined but reports in Spanish media said he would be ruled out for around 6 weeks, meaning he would miss the rescheduled EL Clasico against FC Barcelona on 18 December.
Rodriguez has made 7 Liga appearances this season but has not featured for Madrid since coming on as a substitute in their 1-0 Champions League win at Galatasaray on 22 October.
He was called up to the Colombia squad for the friendlies against Peru and Ecuador but returned home early from their base in Miami after hurting his knee in training.
The 28-year-old had surgery on the same knee last year after damaging the ligament, forcing him to miss over 2 months of action while he was on loan at Bayern Munchen.
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Felix wins Golden Boy award
Atletico Madrid midfielder Joao Felix has been named the 2019 Golden Boy, after a strong start to his career at Wanda Metropolitano.
Felix joined Atletico for £113 million back in July, after rising through the ranks at Benfica over the previous 5 years.
The 20-year-old contributed 15 goals and 7 assists to Benfica's cause last season, and has picked up from where he left off at the start of the 2019-2020 campaign in Spain.
Felix has been a standout performer for Atletico, racking up 13 appearances across all competitions in total and scoring 3 goals.
The Portuguese has now picked up this year's Golden Boy award, ahead of Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho and FC Salzburg forward Erling Haaland.
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Joaquin breaks La Liga record
Real Betis winger Joaquin needed only 20 minutes to score his first career hat-trick on Sunday, becoming the oldest player to net a treble in La Liga.
The 38-year-old's early blitz led host Betis to a 3-2 win over Athletic Bilbao.
"It's the first hat-trick of my life", said Joaquin.
"I don't think it's going to happen again."
At age of 38 years and 140 days, Joaquin became the oldest player to score a La Liga hat-trick.
He scored with a shot from near the penalty spot, then hit a well-placed curling shot into the far corner, and completed the hat-trick from inside the area following a breakaway.
He came close to adding a 4th in second half stoppage-time, but his close-range strike was saved by Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon.
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Felix sidelined for Madrid derby clash
Atletico Madrid Will be without striker Joao Felix for their weekend derby clash with Real Madrid.
The Portuguese failed a late fitness test on an ankle injury, and manager Diego Simeone confirmed he would not risk the Portuguese international at Santiago Bernabeu.
Club captain Koke remains sidelined for Los Rojiblancos, alongside England international Kieran Trippier, with the pair expected to be out for another 2 weeks.
However, Simeone has received international clearance to include Yannick Carrasco, after the Belgian international made a shock return to the club on January transfer deadline day.
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Benzema agrees new contract at Madrid
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has already agreed to extend his contract at the club by a further 12 months, according to Diario AS.
The Frenchman's last contract extension came 2 years ago and his current deal at the club is due to expire in the summer of 2021.
It is said that the new deal will extend the current contract through by a further 12 months until the summer of 2022, although it will not be made official until the end of the campaign.
Benzema, who celebrated his 32nd birthday in December, has been in a rich vein of form over the course of the past 18 months - he netted 30 goals in total last season and already has 18 in 32 appearances this season.