Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The Sweden international, who spent a turbulent season at Barcelona between 2009 and 2010, helped the Rossoneri win the Scudetto last season and has stated that he would like to finish his career with the club.

However, while Ibrahimovic never managed to settle during his short stint at Camp Nou, his representative, Mino Raiola, has hinted that his client would be open to a return to La Liga.

“Every day I get offers, I cannot give certainty,” he said of Ibrahimovic’s future during an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Real Madrid would be a very interesting challenge.”

Ibrahimovic has scored 15 goals in 18 appearances in Serie A so far this season and Raiola recently stated that Milan president Silvio Berlusconi values the player at €150 million. (Goal)

Real Madrid

Barcelona responded to Madrid’s earlier victory with a closer-than-comfort 2-1 win of its own over Real Sociedad to stay undefeated at Camp Nou stadium this season.

Madrid dominated possession at Alfonso Perez Coliseum, but Getafe—the only team to beat Barcelona in any competition this season—held firm in defense to keep alive its chances until the final whistle.

“It was an evenly matched game against a rival that always plays us tough,” goalscorer Sergio Ramos said. “But you have to know how to suffer and at the end you get the reward.”

With Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola resting some starters for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semifinal against Valencia, Lionel Messi set up youth player Cristian Tello for Barcelona’s opener and then added another before Sociedad substitute Carlos Vela halved the deficit.

“I’m happy for the goal and because the coach had faith in me, but also for the win because the team needed it,” Tello said. “The league is very long and there are a lot of points left, so we have to be there when Madrid stumbles.”

Getafe, which entered the game unbeaten in six rounds, had an excellent opportunity to grab the lead three minutes in, but young forward Abdel Barrada volleyed over the bar from point-blank range.

That would be one of the few times the hosts threatened Iker Casillas’ net as Madrid quickly grabbed the lead in the 18th when Ramos turned Mesut Oezil’s corner kick into the far side of the net with a powerful header. The assist took the Germany midfielder’s league-high tally to 12 on the season.

Madrid’s lack of finishing touch almost cost it in the 72nd when defender Pepe clearly blocked Diego Castro’s shot with his arm before collapsing to the ground as if knocked unconscious, but the referee ignored Getafe’s call for a penalty.

“I didn’t see it,” said Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka, who again spoke for head coach Jose Mourinho. “If we had been more in tune we would have won by a wider margin.”

Barcelona’s game against Sociedad followed a similar pattern, with the European champions owning both the ball and scoring opportunities but unable to decide the game early on.

Facing injuries to Spanish internationals Andres Iniesta, Pedro Rodriguez and David Villa, Guardiola again turned to Barcelona’s youth team and gave the nod to Tello along with winger Isaac Cuenca.

And it fell to Tello to start the scoring when he ran onto Messi’s pass and rolled a right-footed strike under the oncoming Claudio Bravo for the ninth-minute goal.

Barcelona, led by a Messi anxious for his first goal in four games, pressed hard to extend the lead.

Tello thought he had a brace in the 68th when he fired in Cuenca’s rebound that had come off the crossbar, but it was waived off after the referee ruled Dani Alves offside when the ball hit him on the goalline before finding the net.

“I want to thank everyone who came out tonight with this weather,” Guardiola said. “And second, I want to congratulate Cristian and Isaac. It isn’t easy to play under so much pressure.”

Messi finally broke through in the 72nd when he made a diagonal run to meet Dani Alves’ lob and whipped it into the net with a left-footed shot for his 23rd goal in league play.

But just when Barcelona looked likely to cruise to another comfortable home win, Vela got behind the defense and coolly fired by goalkeeper Victor Valdes two minutes later to keep nerves high until the end.

Sergio Busquets went on as a late substitute to shore up Barcelona’s midfield, but lasted only 10 minutes before having to be carried off with a deep cut in his right leg after a collision with another player.

Elsewhere, Espanyol substitute Juan Albin scored in stoppage time as his team rallied twice to draw 3-3 at Athletic Bilbao.

Levante held onto fourth place despite a 1-1 draw with Racing Santander, level on points with Espanyol and two clear of Bilbao.

Mallorca edged Real Betis 1-0 as both teams finished with 10 men after Betis’ Pedro Mario and Mallorca’s Ivan Ramis were each booked twice.

On Sunday, it’s: Sporting Gijon vs. Osasuna, Sevilla vs. Villarreal, Zaragoza vs. Rayo Vallecano, and Atletico Madrid vs. Valencia.

Malaga hosts Granada on Monday.

Real Madrid

But the Portugal international insisted the act, which was missed at the time by the referee, was “unintentional”.

The 28-year-old was branded “shameful” and “embarrassing” in the Spanish press following the incident during the Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu, which came when Messi was lying on the ground.

And in a statement on the club’s website, Pepe said: “I wish to say yesterday’s incident with Leo Messi was unintentional, but I nevertheless want to apologise to him if he was offended because all I do is defend my team and this institution.

“I give my heart and soul, and the thought of hurting a colleague has never entered my mind.”

The usually pro-Madrid newspaper Marca pulled few punches in its reaction to the incident.

After the match, coach Jose Mourinho said Pepe had played well for the team, but warned he would be punished if it was found he had deliberately stamped on Messi.

“I haven’t seen it, but obviously if it is deliberate he will be punished,” Mourinho said.

“What I can say is that he did a great job for the team.”

But Marca went further, suggesting Pepe’s long disciplinary record calls into question whether he should remain at the club.

Pepe received a 10-match ban during the 2008-09 season for kicking Getafe’s Francisco Casquero while he was on the ground.

Miguel Serrano wrote in the paper: “Real Madrid itself should act on its own and punish Pepe. And then, in time, study his future at the club. If he has one.”

On marca.com, Roberto Palomar wrote on his blog: “Real Madrid, in the form of (president) Florentino Perez, should consider very seriously getting rid of a player who is an embarrassment for Real Madrid, who lives up to neither the club’s history, nor the stature of his colleagues or the profession of football.

“The winter transfer window would be a good opportunity to get some money for him and avoid him every wearing the white shirt again. If there is any bit of sense at the club, this should have been his last match.”

And now they are placing their radar fixed on Real Madrid superstar, Kaka. As reported by Radio Marca, Shanghai even had prepared a value that is quite ambitious.

Currently, the officials from Shanghai have landed in Madrid to launch negotiations for the possibility of transferring Kaka from Los Blancos this month or the end of the season.

Shanghai is also rumored to have offered Kaka a salary over € 9 million per season, which is the same amount he currently gets from Madrid.

Real Madrid

Madrid failed to impress before the break and were trailing 2-0 at the interval, before goals from Sami Khedira, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema in the second period helped them to a hard-fought victory.

“We made things difficult for ourselves in the first half, but we played differently after half-time, looking for open spaces and a victory.

“Real Madrid will always try to do their best. We gave two goals away because we weren’t experiencing many problems and we gave a good performance.

“We’ll have the advantage in the return leg, but we cannot afford to relax.”

The second leg takes place at La Rosaleda on January 10.

Los Blancos looked impressive in the second round. Goals from Sami Khedira, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema saved El Real in front of their own crowd.

Watch Real Madrid 3-2 Malaga highlights here:

Real Madrid

In the games, Los Blancos were behind by two goals in the first half. Goals from Sergio Sanchez and Martin Demichelis made the public of Santiago Bernabeu silent.

“Our game in the first half was not good. Our concentration was poor, and often made mistakes in dead ball situations,” explained Mourinho.

“But we were able to get up and thanked the fans for their support. It’s not easy to find support when the team is losing. We’ll take advantage while playing in Malaga,” added Mourinho.

Barcelona

Barcelona is now the second position in the Spanish La Liga standings behind Madrid. Both teams still have chances in the Champions League and Copa del Rey.

“Real Madrid has always been a rival to the end. They usually become our biggest rivals in all competitions, “said Adriano in his statement to reporters.

“I think the situation remains the same this year, although it would be harder than previous seasons.”

The Brazilian then talked about the future of coach Pep Guardiola, and said that he will renew his contract.

“I think he will stay at the club. I really hope so, because he is very important for Barca. I’ve learned a lot from Guardiola since i joined Barcelona, “said Adriano.

Goals:
14′ [0 - 1] J.M. Callejon
42′ [0 - 2] G. Higuain
90′ [0 - 3] J.M. Callejon

Cristiano Ronaldo is optimistic Los Blancos could become champions this season because their squad is strong enough and their performance are consistent. Madrid collected 12 points from four games in the group stage.

“At this club, to win the Champions League is a great pride. Real has always been a favorite to win a trophy but we also know this is a very serious thing. But I think we can be champions this season,” he told Record.

“We will face tough opponents in the next round, like Chelsea, Barca, Manchester United, Inter Milan or Bayern Munich. But I remain optimistic because I think Madrid is the best team since I joined this club.”

“I hope our performance gets more consistent and continue our good performance. I know the fans are very excited and it is the most important thing for us because they will always give support.”