Toni Kroos bade an emotional farewell to Real Madrid fans at a sold-out Santiago Bernabeu in a 0-0 draw with Real Betis.

One of Madrid's most decorated players, Kroos confirmed this week that he will be retiring after Euro 2024.

That made Saturday's meeting with Betis his final LaLiga match for Madrid, who eased to the title this season and will now look ahead to next week's Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund.

While that clash at Wembley will be Kroos' last in club football, he was able to say goodbye to the Madrid fans, with the match all about the 34-year-old, with nothing left to be decided in the standings.

Kroos fought back tears as walked onto the pitch through a corridor formed by his team-mates, who were wearing his number eight jersey as the fans held up a giant flag with his face and the words "Thank you, legend" which covered the south stand.

In the 87th minute, Kroos, who saw a free-kick saved by Betis' Fran Vieites, broke down in tears when, after receiving another standing ovation as he was substituted, he embraced his three children who were all crying on the sidelines.

The game was stopped for several minutes as Kroos hugged each of his team-mates, as well as coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Ferland Mendy and Vinicius Junior went closest to breaking the deadlock for Madrid, while Hector Bellerin missed from a free header for Betis and Thibaut Courtois pulled off some fine saves either side of the break.

Data Debrief: Kroosing into retirement

What a career Kroos has had, not only at Madrid, but at Bayern Munich beforehand.

On his 306th LaLiga appearance, a tally bettered by only one other German (Bernd Schuster, with 316), Kroos bowed out in typical style, having the most touches (122), creating the most chances (three), playing the most passes (110) and completing the most passes (107) of any player on the pitch.

Madrid might be in safe hands with Jude Bellingham, but Kroos will certainly be missed.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is set to return for the final stretch of the season after making a full recovery from two knee injuries, Carlo Ancelotti said.

Madrid boss Ancelotti said he will be cautious with Courtois, who has not played this season after sustaining an ACL tear in August and a torn meniscus in March.

Stand-in Andriy Lunin will start Friday's LaLiga match at Real Sociedad and Tuesday's Champions League semi-final, first leg at Bayern Munich.

However, Courtois should be back next week.

"I have to think carefully about the lineup moving forward. There has been a lot of wear and tear. Courtois is fine, he will be available next week and could play against Cadiz," Ancelotti said in a press conference on Thursday.

Courtois's injury was expected to be a serious blow for Madrid's hopes this season, but Ukrainian Lunin has been an able stand-in, establishing himself as first choice ahead of former Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Belgian's absence.

Lunin was Madrid's penalty hero as they beat Manchester City to reach the Champions League semi-finals, making two saves in their 4-3 shootout win after an inspired performance as they drew their quarter-final second leg 1-1.

The 31-year-old Courtois, however, is widely considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world and is likely to regain his starting spot with a LaLiga-Champions League double up for grabs.

He was named Player-of-the-Match in the 2022 Champions League final after producing a memorable performance, making nine saves to deny Liverpool as Madrid clinched a record-extending 14th European title with a 1-0 win in Paris.

Madrid are brimming with confidence following their 3-2 comeback win over bitter rivals Barcelona on Sunday.

The LaLiga leaders' pursuit of a record-extending 36th Spanish title gathered momentum as they moved 11 points clear of second-placed Barca with six games left.

Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo are doubts for Friday's game due to illness and Ferland Mendy is still recovering from a leg injury, but Ancelotti said his side will go all-out as they look to edge closer to the league title.

"With all the enthusiasm in the world, the objective is very clear, there are seven points left for us to win the league. We have to get them as soon as possible," Ancelotti said.

"Until the mathematics don't guarantee us the title, we have to fight. The momentum is very good, it's important that we continue to compete and get the most out of it. Win as much as possible. Winning is the best thing to keep momentum going, that's why we have to win tomorrow."

Chelsea are working to reunite manager Graham Potter with Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister in a January move believed to be worth in the range of £60million.

Mac Allister, 24, has been with Brighton since 2019, and is coming off his most productive Premier League campaign after forcing his way into Potter's best XI to earn 11 consecutive starts to close last season.

His emergence, which was followed up by a fine start to 2022-23, did not go unnoticed, with Mac Allister earning a spot in Argentina's World Cup squad, where he would go on to start all four of his country's knockout games and contribute an assist in the final against France.

Chelsea have spent plenty of time scouting Argentina players in search of midfield reinforcements, having long been linked with Enzo Fernandez, but have reportedly landed on Potter's recent colleague as the best value of the bunch.
 

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Chelsea's interest in fellow Argentina standout and Benfica midfielder Fernandez has also been well documented, but with his price tag exceeding £100m, Football Insider is reporting the Stamford Bridge club now view Mac Allister as a better value.

The report states Chelsea have "concrete" interest in making a January move a reality, and that £60m will likely be enough to pry him away from Brighton.

Meanwhile, Portuguese publication Relevo still claims Chelsea's move for Fernandez is only "one step away", confirming the 21-year-old has agreed to personal terms, but indicating Chelsea are hesitant about meeting his full release clause.

ROUND-UP

– According to the Star, Tottenham expect to complete a £35m move for Sporting right-back Pedro Porro by the end of the week.

– A Bola adds Tottenham are also investigating the possibility of bringing back 24-year-old English midfielder Marcus Edwards from Sporting, having initially left the club in 2019.

– Bild is reporting in-demand Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram, 25, will be available for as little as €12m.

– According to Foot Mercato, Morocco and Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou could depart for Bayern Munich or Manchester United in January. 

– Newcastle United have made an offer for 27-year-old Real Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy, per Foot Mercato.

Karim Benzema moved level with Raul as Real Madrid's second-highest all-time top goalscorer and Vinicius Junior scored a hat-trick as the LaLiga champions relegated Levante with a 6-0 hammering.

Ferland Mendy got Carlo Ancelotti's side, who were crowned champions a fortnight ago, on their way early on, before Benzema joined Madrid icon Raul on 323 goals soon after.

Rodrygo and Vinicius added further goals before the interval, with the latter completing his treble in the second half at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday.

While the rout restored Madrid's 12-point advantage over Barcelona at the summit, it condemned Levante drop with two games to play.

Any hopes Levante had of causing an upset were dispelled in the 13th minute when Mendy powered into the penalty area and slotted past Daniel Cardenas.

Federico Valverde then steered a volley against the post, before Benzema doubled his side's advantage with a close-range header from Vinicius' cross after 19 minutes.

Rodrygo slid home Luka Modric's cross to make it three in the 34th minute, while Cardenas twice pushed Valverde drives onto the crossbar as Madrid dominated.

They made it four in the 45th minute, when Vinicius collected Modric's pass and curled past Cardenas from a tight angle.

Cardenas pawed away Modric's whipped effort and Vinicius saw an effort ruled out for offside after the interval. 

The Brazil international was not to be denied in the 68th minute, though, tapping into an empty net after Benzema had rounded Cardenas.

He had his hat-trick seven minutes from full-time courtesy of a cool finish from 10 yards out after breaking through Levante's dispirited backline. 

Carlo Ancelotti has refuted suggestions that he could use Real Madrid's upcoming league games to prepare for their crucial Champions League second leg clash with Paris Saint-Germain, for which Casemiro and Ferland Mendy will be suspended.

Casemiro and Mendy picked up decisive yellow cards in the LaLiga leaders' 1-0 first-leg defeat to PSG, ruling them out of the crucial second leg in Spain next month. 

Brazil midfielder Casemiro has appeared in all seven of Real's Champions League games this season, while left-back Mendy has made five appearances, both establishing themselves as key parts of Ancelotti's attempts to bring the Spanish and European crowns back to the Bernabeu.

Speaking ahead of a trip to Rayo Vallecano, Ancelotti insisted that he will not use upcoming games to find the right balance for Real's reunion with PSG, highlighting the importance of their league fixtures.

"What can I tell you? It would be a good idea [to experiment] if we had friendly games," he said.

"But we have two really important games, finals, against Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad.

"Two victories would mean a lot in order to win LaLiga, [so] I will play my best starting 11 in the games before Paris Saint-Germain.

"Toni Kroos can replace Casemiro, but he doesn't need to get used to playing that [deeper] position, he has played it many times.

"I have experienced players, I don’t need to try new things. I Haven't thought yet about who will replace Casemiro and Mendy, as we have two really important matches before that."

Are Barcelona set to make a splash in 2022?

After losing Lionel Messi on a free transfer due to their crippling debt, Barca are busy planning for next season.

Franck Kessie and Youri Tielemans are believed to be on the radar at Camp Nou.

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Barcelona are targeting Milan star Franck Kessie and Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, according to reports.

Kessie is out of contract at the end of the season and he is yet to re-sign at Milan amid links with Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.

Mundo Deportivo claims LaLiga giants Barca are considering a move for the Ivory Coast international, as well as Tielemans – who is reportedly wanted by the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.

ROUND-UP

- Fichajes says Premier League champions Manchester City are plotting a bid for Leeds United and England star Kalvin Phillips.

- Real Madrid are interested in Lyon's Rayan Cherki as a long-term replacement for Karim Benzema, per Fichajes. It comes as Madrid continue to pursue PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland.

- Calciomercato claims Juventus are considering a move for Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy.

- United are ready to rival Barca, Juve and Bayern Munich for RB Leipzig attacker Dani Olmo, according to Marca.

Real Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy is set to miss Thursday's LaLiga match with Granada after sustaining another injury.

The club confirmed the France international is suffering with tibial periostitis following tests carried out on Tuesday.

The news is the latest injury blow to Madrid in a season blighted by absences, particularly in defence.

Mendy has missed their past five LaLiga matches, as well as the first leg of the Champions League semi-final defeat to Chelsea, with a calf problem.

Captain Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez have been struggling for fitness in 2021 and all missed the 2-2 draw with Sevilla on Sunday.

That result allowed Madrid to move into second place in the table with three games remaining, level on points with Barcelona but ahead due to their superior head-to-head record, with Atletico Madrid two points clear at the top.

Madrid have only won three of the 10 games Mendy has missed this season in all competitions, all but one of which have been in the league.

They have taken 2.4 points per game on average with the former Lyon man in the side, compared to just 1.4 without him.