December 18, 2021 - The Spanish giants seek to reinforce their squad, even as current La Liga leaders and after a successful group stage in the Champions League. According to Spanish media, in addition to Mbappé and Haaland, the "whites" would also be interested in two Croatian players.

According to tportal.hr, the mythical club Real Madrid already has a list of potential signings for the next summer transfer window. The football world already knows that the ''Galáticos'' made an offer for Kylian Mbappé last summer, but in addition to trying again (considering that the PSG star can negotiate a free transfer from January 2022), they have also included the Norwegian Erling Haaland in their plans. Thus, Real Madrid seeks to unite both forwards with their current star, Vinicius Jr., to form a lethal trident.

However, at the club, they know that they must sign more than just forwards. Despite the good moment of Militao and Alaba as centre-backs, the departure of Sergio Ramos and Raphaël Varane has left the position with few variations. This is how Real Madrid has set its sights on RB Leipzig's center-back and ex-Dinamo from Zagreb, Josko Gvardiol. After very good seasons at the club in the Croatian capital, the young defender migrated to Germany and has quickly made a place for himself in Leipzig's defense. Furthermore, he is an undisputed starter in Zlatko Dalic's squad in the Croatian national team. It seems that Real Madrid would have liked that, despite his 19 years of age, Gvardiol has accumulated quite a few minutes of experience with both his clubs and the national team.

Another Croatian player listed as a potential signing for Real Madrid is Rennes midfielder, Lovro Majer. Majer, who also left Dinamo Zagreb last summer, seemed unable to find his place in the French team. However, in recent months, the young midfielder has shown a very good level, with impressive statistics: 4 assists and 1 goal in 10 games. Lovro surely caught the attention of many when on December 5, in a match against Saint Étienne in Ligue 1, he provided 3 assists for his teammate Martin Terrier, who scored a hat-trick. Majer's good form led Dalic, who did not call him up for EURO 2020 and left him on the provisional lists later, to finally decide to call him up for the qualifying games for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. On his debut, Majer scored two goals in the bulky 7-0 win against Malta. Real Madrid wouldn't think twice when it came to signing a Croatian midfielder, after the good memories and the success of players like Luka Modric or Mateo Kovacic. What is clear is that, after the bad moment of Isco or Hazard, Real Madrid is looking for a creative player in their midfield.

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November 21, 2021 - Has Rennes found a new Luka Modrić in Lovro Majer? French daily Le Figaro weighs in. 

The oldest French daily Le Figaro published an inspiring story about Lovro Majer thanks to his brilliant form at Rennes. Recall, the young Croatian transferred to Rennes from Dinamo last summer and was the star of the Croatia national team against Malta, scoring two goals, reports Index.hr. 

"Before the match against Lyon on November 7, Lovro Majer was not even on Zlatko Dalić's list for the last two World Cup qualifiers, but with his 4:1 victory, he forced the coach to invite him. The next day he flew from Brittany to prepare for Malta and Russia," begins Le Figaro's text entitled "What if Rennes found a new Luka Modrić?".

The French daily reminds that Majer started for Croatia for the first time on the right side of the attack and scored two goals with his right foot, even though he is left-footed. They also mentioned that Croatian media write about Maier in superlatives and compare him to captain Luka Modrić.

"As he develops alongside his idol, Majer intends to tie his name to Croatia in the long run," adds Le Figaro, and then briefly recounts his club career, from Posavina to Rennes.

Majer missed a month at the start of the season due to injury but enters the winter with a lot of physical freshness.

"He ran more than 13 kilometers against Mura in the Conference League. Those characteristics and technical qualities make him a playmaker," said Rennes coach Bruno Genesio and praised Majer's adaptability and versatility.

The French daily reminds that Majer wanted to go to Olympique Marseille last winter, but it was Rennes that brought him over for 12 million euro.

"I had other options, but Rennes' style of play prevailed. The French league is advancing every year and becoming more popular. I needed a new challenge and a change in life and career," Majer explained when signing a five-year contract with the club.

At the end of the text, the author explains that after playing against Lyon, the fans will remember Majer's name because it was nearly perfect. He guarded the ball, controlled the game, and participated in three of his team’s four goals. On the right side of the midfield, the young left-footer made the penultimate pass for each of those goals. After the game, he was praised by coach Genesio. But Majer still has only one goal - leaving a mark on the club and the national team.

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August 29, 2021 - Croatia captain Luka Modrić will miss Croatia's Russia and Slovakia qualifiers next week, but could still join the team in Split before the Slovenia match on September 7 at Poljud. 

The Croatia national team captain and Real Madrid midfielder, Luka Modrić, will not come to the Croatia national team gathering on Monday, August 30, reports HNS.

Due to an adductor injury, Modrić missed last week's La Liga league match against Levante and was in recovery treatment during the week. In consultation with the medical services of Real Madrid and the Croatia national team, it was established that Modrić cannot compete in the qualifying matches against Russia on September 1 and Slovakia on September 4. 

Coach Zlatko Dalić and captain Modrić agreed that therefore, Modrić will not come to the national team gathering in Moscow on August 30, and left open the possibility for the captain to join his teammates in Split for the match against Slovenia (September 7), if Modrić gets the green light from his doctor that he is ready to return to the pitch. 

After it was decided that Modrić would not compete in the qualifying matches, coach Zlatko Dalić decided to call up Lovro Majer.

The 23-year-old offensive midfielder signed a contract for Rennes this week, after playing his 100th game in the Dinamo Zagreb jersey against Sheriff. Majer was a regular member of the Croatia national youth team, and in 2017 he made his debut for the A national team in a friendly match against Mexico in Los Angeles.

However, Majer shouldn't be looked at as Luka's replacement. It is likely that Dalić will use Mario Pašalić or Nikola Vlašić to play with Mateo Kovačić and Marcelo Brozović. 

The 2018 World Cup finalists gather on Monday, August 30, and during this busy September week, they will play against Russia (September 1 in Moscow) and Slovakia (September 4 in Bratislava) and at home against Slovenia (September 7 in Split).

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