Real Madrid star wants MORE competition

Stuart Telford

• 3 Feb 2023 15:37 GMT
• 3 min read

Real Madrid are looking to build for the future with Jude Bellingham a top transfer target and Brazilian wonderkid Endrick already bolted down for the summer of 2024, but some current first-team regulars are welcoming the competition.

Bellingham's future is still up in the air, although it seems clear that he will leave Borussia Dortmund next summer, with Real at the front of the queue for his services alongside Liverpool and Manchester City.

While Endrick will complete a €72 million transfer from Palmeiras once he turns 18, there is another deal which had been secured for the end of this season in Fran Garcia, the Rayo Vallecano left-back who is set to return to his childhood club in a €5m move.

READ: Who is Fran Garcia? Real Madrid's returning left-back

Garcia has blossomed into one of La Liga's best left-backs since leaving Real, with 10 goal-involvements across his two-and-a-half seasons at Rayo, but Ferland Mendy, the incumbent in the position at the Bernabeu, is reportedly delighted he has been signed.

Mendy 'asking for backup'

"Confidence in Mendy has been so great that, since the departure of club legend Marcelo on a free transfer at the end of last season, the 27-year-old has been left without competition," reports the Athletic's Guillermo Rai.

"Sources close to the left-back, who prefer to remain anonymous to protect their relationships, believe Mendy has sometimes had to play despite not being fully recovered from injury - increasing the risk of further problems - and have been asking for the club to arrange more backup for him."

READ: Camavinga is 'untouchable' says Ancelotti amid transfer exit rumours

Garcia is set to become that back-up, with Mendy remaining the first-choice at the Bernabeu - although an unlikely contender for his spot has emerged in France midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.

The former Rennes youngster got the nod at left-back as Real beat Valencia 2-0 on Thursday, winning 10 duels and completing 91 per cent of his passes, three of which were 'key' ones.