Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Thursday that injured goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois could return from injury as soon as next week.

The Belgian international has missed the entire season with a knee ligament injury and suffered a further setback in March which required another knee operation.

Real Madrid face Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday and then Cadiz in La Liga on the following Saturday.

“He’s well, I think he will be available to travel with us next week (to Munich) and he can play against Cadiz,” Ancelotti told a news conference.

Andriy Lunin has won Ancelotti’s trust as Madrid’s goalkeeper in recent months, ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga, on loan from Chelsea.

Ukrainian stopper Lunin saved two penalties against Manchester City last week to help Real Madrid reach the Champions League semi-finals.

The coach did not include Jude Bellingham in the squad to face Real Sociedad on Friday in La Liga, with Ancelotti explaining the England international had a “stomach problem”.

Madrid boast an 11-point lead at the top of the table ahead of Barcelona, who confirmed this week that coach Xavi Hernandez will stay at the club next season.

Xavi had declared in January he would leave this summer.

“Xavi has done a very good job at Barcelona,” said Ancelotti.

“He knows the club very well, it seems to me to be the right decision that he stays.”

AFP

Kelechi Iheanacho will leave Leicester City this summer, according to transfer insider, Dean Jones.


Iheanacho’s contract with Leicester City will expire in June and there has been no talks of an extension.

The forward has also failed to feature regularly for the Foxes this season.

The 27-year-old has scored six goals in 25 league appearances for Enzo Maresca’s side.

Jones expects the Nigeria international to leave Leicester City on a free transfer at the end of the season.
“It looks like he will leave Leicester, and at the moment, the most likely path for him to take is to Turkey.

“Trabzonspor are one of the teams for him, and these sorts of options might have to become very real, even though it seems to be early in his career,” Jones told GIVEMESPORT.


“From a Leicester point of view, keeping him doesn’t seem a wise move as he is one of the higher earners in that side, and he has only started ten games in a season when they are going for a Championship promotion.”

Iheanacho joined Leicester City from Manchester City in 2017

Montpellier striker, Jerome Akor Adams is hopeful of breaking into the Super Eagles team in the near future.


Adams was widely tipped to get an invitation to the Super Eagles after making a good start to life at Montpellier earlier in the season.

The forward, who joined the Ligue 1 outfit from Norwegian outfit, Lillestrom last summer, scored seven goals in his first 10 games for the club.

The 24-year-old has not hit target for Montpellier since November 2023.

Despite his goal drought, Adams has continued to feature regularly for his club.

The striker believed he will get the chance to make his mark on the international scene soon.


“We all have our place and we are privileged to have so many good strikers and so many good players,” Adams told BBC’s Oluwashina Okeleji.

“So, when the time comes, I’ll take the opportunity. It’s a dream for every Nigerian kid, which I am one of.”