Uruguay midfielder Federico Valverde has signed a two-year contract extension at Real Madrid, the LaLiga club have announced.

The 25-year-old, who joined the Spanish giants in 2016, is now committed to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2029.

Valverde, who has become a mainstay of the side over the past six seasons, has played 220 games for the club and won nine trophies including the Champions League and two LaLiga titles.

A statement from the club read: “Real Madrid and Fede Valverde have agreed to extend the contract of the player, who is linked to the club until June 30, 2029.”

Valverde becomes the fourth Real player to extend their contract with the club this month, after Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior all signed new deals.

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Sociedad all booked their places in the knockout stages of the Champions League with two games to spare on a dramatic night of European action.

Bayern made it four wins out of four in Group A but only after a frantic finish in their 2-1 win over Galatasaray.

The visitors had the ball in the net just after the hour but Lucas Torreira was offside, and Bayern took the lead when Harry Kane flicked in Joshua Kimmich’s free-kick with 10 minutes to go, with the goal awarded following a VAR check after initially being ruled offside.

Kane then doubled the lead with his 25th career Champions League goal, turning in Mathys Tel’s cross in the 86th minute, and they needed the cushion as Cedric Bakambu scored for Galatasaray in stoppage time.

Despite defeat Galatasaray remain second in the group after Manchester United suffered a costly 4-3 defeat in Copenhagen, blowing a 2-0 lead after Marcus Rashford was sent off.

Rasmus Hojlund’s early brace against his former club put United in control despite the loss of Jonny Evans to injury, but the night changed when Rashford saw red for a challenge on Elias Jelert following a VAR intervention in the 42nd minute.

Ex-Southampton forward Mohamed Elyounoussi pulled one back before Diogo Goncalves levelled from the penalty spot after a Harry Maguire handball deep into first-half stoppage time.

Bruno Fernandes restored United’s lead with a 69th-minute penalty after Lukas Lerager handled, but the Copenhagen midfielder made amends with an 83rd minute equaliser before Roony Bardghji won it four minutes later, leaving United bottom of the group before their trip to Istanbul.

Real Madrid cruised through with a 3-0 win over Braga. They overcame an early scare when Alvaro Djalo missed a penalty for the visitors after Lucas Vazquez fouled Cristian Borja just four minutes in, but once Brahim Diaz put them in front in the 27th minute there was no looking back.

Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo added to the scoreline with two goals in five minutes early in the second half, and there was no way back for the visitors.

The other Group C game between Napoli and Union Berlin ended 1-1 as David Fofana’s first Union goal – and the club’s first away from home in the Champions League – cancelled out Matteo Politano’s opener.

Inter edged out RB Salzburg 1-0 in Austria to secure their progress, with the game decided by Lautaro Martinez’s 84th-minute penalty after Mads Bidstrup handled in the area.

And that result also saw Real Sociedad go through from Group D after their 3-1 win over Benfica earlier in the evening.

Early goals from Mikel Merino and Mikel Oyarzabal had Sociedad in control after just 11 minutes and it was 3-0 10 minutes later as Ander Barrenetxea fired into the roof of the net.

Brais Mendez hit the post with a penalty just before the half hour and Rafa Silva pulled one back for Benfica early in the second half, but Sociedad comfortably took the points.

Arsenal are in control of Group B after goals from Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka earned a 2-0 win over Sevilla.

The Gunners top the group with nine points, four clear of PSV Eindhoven and Lens, who are level on five after Luuk de Jong’s 12th-minute header was enough for 1-0 win over Lens, who had substitute Morgan Guilavogui sent off late on.

Real Madrid cruised into the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 3-0 win over Braga.

After overcoming an early scare when Alvaro Djalo missed a penalty for the visitors, the 14-time European champions took the lead through Brahim Diaz in the 27th minute and then seized control early in the second half as Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo added to the score line.

A fourth win out of four in Group C, and ninth straight game at home without defeat in the Champions League, saw Real book their place in the last-16 with two games to spare.

With the hosts needing only a point to be sure of progression, Carlo Ancelotti took the opportunity to rest a number of regulars.

Jude Bellingham was on the bench after suffering a blow to the shoulder at the weekend, while David Alaba and Dani Carvajal were also among the substitutes.

It was a dramatic start to the match as Braga were awarded a penalty just four minutes in, with Lucas Vazquez pulling Cristian Borja back by the shirt and earning a yellow card for his troubles.

But Real avoided further punishment with goalkeeper Andriy Lunin equal to a weak spot-kick from Djalo.

The home side wanted a penalty of their own moments later when Rodrygo went down under a challenge from Sikou Niakate but the referee waved play on.

Diaz, who replaced Bellingham in the side, thought he had scored in the 12th minute following a mistake from Niakate, sweeping home Rodrygo’s pass, but the Brazilian was deemed guilty of a foul in the build-up.

Braga were appealing for another penalty in the 20th minute when Vazquez barged into Bruma, but the winger had already lost control of the ball as he tried to punish a wayward header from the defender.

The hosts went straight to the other end where Federico Valverde blazed over but the goal was coming and arrived in the 27th minute when Rodrygo pulled the ball back for Diaz to lift into the roof of the net.

Rodrygo had a chance to double the lead before half-time but shot straight at Matheus from the left.

Diaz was close to a second 10 minutes into the second half after Vinicius cut the ball back, but his first effort was stopped by the goalkeeper and his follow-up shot blocked by Jose Fonte.

Real were turning up the heat, and the second goal came in the 58th minute as Vinicius finished off a neat move, cutting past Fonte and finding the bottom corner.

And they killed the game off three minutes later, hitting Braga on the break as Rodrygo exchanged passes with Vinicius before lifting the ball over the goalkeeper.

Braga dropped back in numbers to ensure there was no fourth on the night and almost got a goal of their own in stoppage time through Abel Ruiz’s header, which was well saved by Lunin.

Eduardo Camavinga has signed a new deal that will keep him at Real Madrid until June 2029, the LaLiga club have announced.

Camavinga, who can play in both midfield or in defence as a left-back, has made made 114 appearances for Los Blancos since his arrival in 2021.

The versatile 20-year-old has already amassed a large collection of trophies in his first two seasons in the Spanish capital, including the Champions League,  Club World Cup, European Super Cup, LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.

Camavinga has also made 13 appearances for France, scoring once in a 2020 international friendly with Ukraine.

Real Madrid, coming off Sunday’s goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano, host Braga in a Champions League group stage contest on Wednesday night.

Real Madrid failed to return to the top of LaLiga after being held to a goalless draw by city rivals Rayo Vallecano.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side need to take all three points to edge ahead of Girona on goal difference, but could not break down their stubborn opponents despite dominating possession at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Vinicius Jr did have the ball in the net midway through the second half, only for his effort to be ruled out due to Joselu being offside in the build-up.

Rayo Vallecano have now gone eight games without defeat in LaLiga, although six of those have been draws, and they never threatened to claim a first win at the Bernabeu since 1996.

The home side should have taken the lead with just five minutes gone when Federico Valverde pounced on a loose pass to surge into the area, only for the Uruguay international to hit his shot straight at goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.

Bellingham, who was presented with his LaLiga player of the month award for October before kick-off, had a shot blocked from the resulting corner but soon had the Real fans holding their breath as he landed awkwardly on his left shoulder after attempting to chest the ball to a team-mate.

The 20-year-old looked in severe pain as he received treatment for more than two minutes, but was thankfully able to continue.

An uncharacteristic mistake from Luke Modric gifted the visitors a rare sight of goal on 15 minutes, only for Alvaro Garcia to drag his left-footed effort badly wide and the action soon switched back to the other end as Joselu sent a glancing header wide from a Modric corner.

Joselu and Fran Garcia both had shots off target before the former brought a superb save out of Dimitrievski with a first-time effort after being set up by Vinicius, while Bellingham produced a deft turn on the edge of area to beat two defenders before firing over the bar.

Vinicius should have opened the scoring almost immediately after the restart but failed to connect with a delightful cross from Modric, who curled the ball to the back post with the outside of his right foot.

And when Vinicius finally did find the target on 66 minutes the goal was disallowed due to Joselu being in an offside position when he flicked the ball on to his team-mate.

The home side continued to press forward but Dimitrievski was forced into action on few occasions and easily gathered a tame effort from substitute Rodrygo in the third of seven minutes of added time.

Real Madrid have denied they are in transfer talks with Paris St Germain striker Kylian Mbappe.

The France forward is due to leave PSG when his contract expires next summer, with the Bernabeu an expected destination.

But the LaLiga side have rubbished reports they have held any discussions with the World Cup winner.

A club statement read: “Given the information recently issued and published by different media outlets, in which there is speculation about alleged negotiations between the player Kylian Mbappe and our club, Real Madrid C.F. wants to state that this information is flatly false and that no such negotiations have taken place with a player who belongs to PSG.”

The French side accepted a world-record £258million bid from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal last month, but Mbappe turned down the offer.

Boss Carlo Ancelotti has praised flawless Jude Bellingham as Real Madrid look to go back to the LaLiga summit.

The midfielder’s brace, including a last-minute winner, secured a dramatic 2-1 win at Barcelona last weekend.

Bellingham has 13 goals in 13 games since his £88.5million move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer and is hunting more against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, having won the Kopa Trophy this week as the world’s best player under 21.

Victory will take Real back to the top of LaLiga on goal difference after Girona moved three points clear following Saturday’s 4-2 comeback win at Osasuna.

Ancelotti told a press conference: “Jude’s shown no flaws whatsoever so far and he doesn’t really have much to improve on. At this level, the important thing is consistency.

“These kinds of players and great talents like Bellingham and Vinicius make the difference through consistency.

“His physical profile helps him to maintain the levels he’s showing. It’s not just about his goals either, we’re praising him for his hard work with and without the ball and his incredible physical capacities.

“Rodrygo and Vinicius will score more goals over the course of the season. They will get more than Bellingham and Joselu. We have no doubts about that. But if they’re not scoring, Bellingham and Joselu have done a great job so far this season.”

Atletico Madrid’s 2-1 defeat at Las Palmas on Friday did at least keep Real’s city rivals three points behind in the race for the title.

Ancelotti added: “It will be a hard-fought LaLiga campaign. We’ll be fighting against Barcelona and Atletico until the end and we’ll see how Girona go because they’re playing brilliantly.

“Those are the teams, Real Madrid included, who will be battling it out to win the competition.

“We will rotate over the next three games but the priority is tomorrow. We’ll be playing against a side in very good form, they’re well organised and solid.

“We have three games at home and now is the time to make a statement in LaLiga and the Champions League.”

Meanwhile, Rodrygo has targeted another clean sweep after signing his new Madrid deal.

The Brazil international penned a new contract at the Bernabeu until 2028 this week.

He is preparing to welcome Rayo Vallecano and after two LaLiga titles, a Champions League, the Super Cup and the Copa del Rey since signing from Santos in 2019, the forward wants more.

He told the club’s official site: “I couldn’t have imagined it. It was my dream to win everything, but I didn’t expect to do it in four seasons. I thought the Champions League, which is the most special, was going to take me a bit longer.

“I’m very happy because I’ve already won them all. Now I’d like to win them all again.”

Brazil forward Rodrygo has signed a new deal with Real Madrid to keep him at the club until 2028.

The 22-year-old has made 179 appearances in all competitions for Real since joining from Santos in 2019 and it has been reported his new contract has a one billion euros release clause.

The club said in a statement: “Real Madrid C.F. and Rodrygo have agreed a contract extension for the player, who will remain at the club until 30 June 2028.”

Rodrygo, capped 18 times by Brazil, has scored 39 goals during five seasons in Real’s first team, including two in last season’s 2-1 Copa del Rey final win against Sevilla.

He has won seven other major trophies with the club – two LaLiga titles, the Champions League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and two Spanish Super Cups.

Rodrygo’s Brazil team-mate Vinicius Junior agreed a contract extension with Real until the summer of 2027 earlier this week and that also includes a one billion euros release clause, according to reports.

Brazil forward Vinicius Junior has agreed a new contract extension with Real Madrid until the summer of 2027.

Vinicius’ previous contract was set to expire in 2024, and it has been reported an updated deal – said to include a 1billion euro (£873,500m) release clause – had been agreed for some time before being made public.

In a video clip on Real’s social media, Vinicius said: “Hello Madrid fans, I am very happy to renew my contract. It is a dream for me.

“I hope I can continue here for many years, scoring many goals and winning many titles. Thank you very much for the love. Hala Madrid!”

A short statement on the club’s official website read: “Real Madrid and Vini Jr have agreed to extend the player’s contract, which remains linked to the club until June 30, 2027.”

After starting his career with Flamengo, Vinicius, 23, joined Real as an 18-year-old and has gone on to make 235 first-team appearances, scoring 63 goals.

Vinicius has won the LaLiga title twice as well as the Champions League in 2022, with his goal securing a 1-0 win over Liverpool in Paris.

At Monday night’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, Vinicius was presented with the Socrates Award for his work to fight social inequality in Brazil and the ongoing battle against racism.

Following defeat in El Clasico, reports emerged some Barcelona supporters had directed racist abuse towards the Real forward.

Speaking about the ongoing issues when accepting his award, Vinicius said: “It’s boring to have to talk about racism all the time, but it’s an important thing and I will talk about it as often as I have to.

“To have people abuse me at different stadiums is sad. I hope things can change, they are getting better.

“(But) LaLiga, UEFA and FIFA can do more to make sure these people are not here among us.”

What the papers say

Real Madrid are keen on making Kepa Arrizabalaga’s loan move from Chelsea permanent, according to the Sun. The LaLiga giants reportedly want to pay no more than £17.5million for the 29-year-old Spain goalkeeper, who cost the Blues £71m five years ago.

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, 30, is being eyed by Juventus as a potential replacement for Paul Pogba, reports the Mirror. The Italian club are said to be looking at a loan deal in January, using the wages saved with Pogba reportedly facing a lengthy ban over a failed drugs test and Nicolo Fagiolo suspended for at least seven months over betting breaches.

Liverpool have been given a lift in their interest in Brazilian midfielder Andre according to the Mirror. A previous bid for the 22-year-old from Fluminense was reportedly rejected, but he has now indicated he would be open to a move in January.

Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz is catching Chelsea’s eye at Bayer Leverkusen, reports the Express. But the Blues are said to face competition from Manchester City for the 20-year-old.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Trevoh Chalobah: Borussia Dortmund are interested in the 24-year-old Chelsea defender, 24.

Giorgi Mamardashvili: Chelsea have reportedly watched the Valencia and Georgia goalkeeper, 24.

Jude Bellingham’s meteoric rise continued as he was awarded the Kopa Trophy for the best player under the age of 21 in world football.

The Real Madrid and England midfielder picked up the trophy at the Ballon d’Or event in France, where the 20-year-old finished 18th for the main award.

Bellingham has hit 13 goals in 13 appearances since moving to Madrid in the summer, including a double to lead Real to victory in his first El Clasico against Barcelona on Saturday.

The Kopa Trophy was awarded for his form last season, when Bellingham helped Borussia Dortmund to finish second in the Bundesliga and starred for England at the World Cup in Qatar.

“I just want to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point – from Birmingham to Dortmund and now Real Madrid and the national team,” he said.

“Thanks for the support, it means a lot – and more to come.”

Former winners Gavi and Pedri – both of Barcelona – were in the top five, as was Bellingham’s Real Madrid team-mate Eduardo Camavinga.

Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala came second, having roomed with Bellingham during their time together in the England youth set-up.

Bellingham had finished second in 2021, with Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho the only other England player to ever finish in the top three – taking second place in 2019 while at Dortmund.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham continued their stunning starts to life at their new clubs with multi-goal performances over the weekend.

Bellingham’s brace fired Real Madrid to victory over Barcelona in El Clasico while Kane hit a hat-trick in Bayern Munich’s 8-0 rout of Darmstadt in the Bundesliga.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the England duo’s season to date.

Goals galore

Kane kick-started the second-half scoring in Bayern’s wild win on Saturday, in a game which at half-time was goalless with Bayern playing with 10 men to Darmstadt’s nine.

His eventual treble, completed in the 88th minute and including one from his own half, sees him one ahead of Bellingham in the scoring stakes this season but the latter’s contribution on Saturday stands out as all the more impressive.

With Real trailing to Ilkay Gundogan’s early goal for Barca, Bellingham blasted a stunning 30-yard equaliser midway through the second half before popping up with a close-range volley in stoppage time to give his side the Clasico spoils and a four-point lead over their rivals in LaLiga.

It is the third time this season he has scored twice in a game, following the wins over Almeria and Osasuna, giving him a goal-a-game record in his first 13 games for the Spanish giants.

Kane, in the same number of matches, has 14 goals, including another hat-trick in a 7-0 win over Bochum and a brace against Augsburg.

Both men scored in England’s 3-1 win over Scotland, one of three appearances this season for the national team as they sat out the friendly with Australia. That gives Bellingham 14 goals in 16 games for club and country and Kane, who added a brace against Italy, 17 in 16.

Bellingham, of course, has produced those numbers from an attacking midfield position and while acclimatising to a more advanced role than he had been used to with former clubs Borussia Dortmund and Birmingham, or with England. Kane leads the line and has already benefitted from four penalties for Bayern and another against Italy.

Brits abroad

Kane and Bellingham are already on their way to establishing themselves among the most prolific English or British players overseas.

Gary Lineker scored 20 goals in his debut LaLiga season with Barcelona, and 52 in 138 games for the club across three seasons in all competitions.

Michael Owen netted 16 times in his one season at Real, where David Beckham won a league title in his fourth and final season and Steve McManaman won two Champions Leagues, scoring in the 2000 final.

Wales’ record scorer Gareth Bale was another British star to ply his trade at the Bernabeu and scored over 100 goals for Real, with nine in his first 13 games – while often operating from the bench – setting up a tally of 22 in his debut season.

Kevin Keegan scored 12 in his first season at Hamburg in 1977-78, a total already surpassed by Kane and Bellingham, while Wales forward Mark Hughes managed only five goals alongside Lineker at Barca and seven in a season on loan at Bayern. Mark Hateley’s most prolific seasons at AC Milan and Monaco brought 11 and 14 goals respectively.

Jadon Sancho, a team-mate of Bellingham at Dortmund, took time to establish himself after moving from Manchester City’s youth academy. He did scored 13 goals in his first season as a regular starter, though eight of those came from December onwards. Tammy Abraham got 27 in his first season at Roma, albeit with nine in the unheralded Europa Conference League.

Bellingham himself scored only 12 league goals in three years with Dortmund – he is only two away from that already with Real, and more than halfway to his 24 in all competitions for the German side.

Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has stressed that Barcelona’s Gavi was not to blame for the injury he suffered in El Clasico.

Tchouameni sustained a fracture in his foot during Saturday’s contest at Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium.

Replying to a social media post showing footage of a coming together between him and Gavi in the game, the France international wrote: “It’s not Gavi’s fault. I was injured at the end of the first half.”

Real had said on Sunday: “After the tests carried out on our player Aurelien Tchouameni by the Real Madrid medical services, he has been diagnosed with an incomplete stress fracture in the second metatarsal of his left foot.”

A dramatic encounter saw the visitors came from behind to win 2-1 thanks to a Jude Bellingham brace, with the England midfielder’s second goal coming in stoppage time.

Calo Ancelotti’s Real lead LaLiga on goal difference from second-placed Girona, while Xavi’s defending champions Barca are four points behind in fourth.

Jude Bellingham admitted he had done something great after almost single-handedly winning his first El Clasico for Real Madrid.

The England midfielder scored a stunning equaliser and dramatic stoppage-time clincher as Real came from behind to beat arch-rivals Barcelona 2-1 at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium on Saturday.

It continued Bellingham’s extraordinary start as a Real Madrid player, with the 20-year-old having now scored 13 goals in as many appearances for Los Blancos.

Bellingham told the club’s website: “I had watched many Clasicos from the sofa with my family and I told them that today it was my turn to live it first-hand and do something great. I’ve done that and I’m very happy.”

Real trailed at half-time to an early Ilkay Gundogan strike and Bellingham conceded he had not been at his best.

Such is his confidence, however, that he only had one thing on his mind when a shooting opportunity opened up 25 yards out with 68 minutes gone.

He duly lashed home a fine equaliser and he was not done there, volleying in from close range in the dying moments.

He said: “I wasn’t at my best. Sometimes it’s not about trying to do something special every time you have the ball, but to combine with those up top.

“I fulfilled that task well but as soon as I got the ball there I knew I was going to score.

“I got the ball on the edge of the box. I’ve been saying for a few weeks that I need to try from outside.

“Maybe the opponents expect me to try to get into the box or combine with a team-mate and I wanted to surprise them by hitting it from outside the box.

“I know I have the technique and it went into the top corner.”

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti, whose side moved back to the top of LaLiga with the win, has been stunned by the impact Bellingham has had.

He said: “We’re all surprised at the level he’s at, especially in terms of how effective he’s been. He could easily score 20 or 25 goals.

“He looks like a veteran. His attitude is very good. He’s the player who has made the biggest difference.”

Jude Bellingham scored twice – including a dramatic injury-time winner – as Real Madrid came from behind to beat arch-rivals Barcelona 2-1 on Saturday.

The England midfielder struck a stunning equaliser after 68 minutes at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium and then settled his first El Clasico with a close-range volley in the dying moments.

Barcelona had led at the interval through former Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan.

Real’s Bellingham-inspired fightback took them back above Girona to the top of LaLiga and left Barca third, four points behind.

Bellingham has now scored 13 goals in as many appearances in what has been a remarkable start to his Real Madrid career.

Barca took the lead on six minutes when Gundogan combined with fellow former City player Ferran Torres and calmly fired past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Vinicius Junior spurned a chance to level and Barca almost doubled their advantage when Fermin Lopez struck the post.

Real also hit the woodwork when Dani Carvajal drove against the post before the break.

Lopez hit the post again early in the second half and Kepa reacted quickly to deny Ronald Araujo on the rebound.

Real began to rally in the latter stages with Aurelien Tchouameni having a powerful drive touched onto the frame of the goal.

Bellingham then took charge of proceedings when he brilliantly curled home a shot from 25 yards.

The game could still have gone either way and Robert Lewandowski had a chance to put Barca back ahead when he fired over 10 minutes from time.

It was Bellingham who was to have the final say, however. The 20-year-old was once again in the right place at the right time as he pounced to clip home after a Cavajal cross was flicked on by Luka Modric.