Defending La Liga champions Real Madrid are back on top of the standings following their 2-1 win over Valencia last Saturday. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side might find it difficult to stay for long since they will lose one of their star players in the next few matches.
Atletico Madrid, the team Real Madrid leapfrogged to claim the top berth, are expected to be busy in the transfer market. Diego Simeone’s side plans to get rid of some deadwood to open up more funds to pursue reinforcements come summertime.
As for Barcelona, the Catalan side is not giving up on their bid to register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, and several reports indicate they’re heading down the legal route to fix their current situation.
Learn more about the latest La Liga 2025 updates by reading below.
Vinicius Jr.’s frustrations boil over
Real Madrid will be shorthanded in the final third in the next few weeks, as Vinicius Jr. will serve his suspension after getting booked for a red card against Valencia last weekend. This means the 24-year-old winger will be unavailable for fixtures against Las Palmas and Valladolid later this month.
This is the best-case scenario for Los Blancos since Vinicius Jr. won’t be banned against Mallorca in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals, and the games against La Palmas and Valladolid are winnable, according to the SBOTOP La Liga 2025 odds.
Vinicius Jr. was given a straight red card in the 79th minute for hitting Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski when Real Madrid were losing 1-0. After the red card, the Brazilian international had to be restrained from confronting the referees by teammate Antonio Rudiger and goalkeeping coach Luis Llopis. Vinicius Jr. apologised for his actions after the game, and head coach Carlo Ancelotti said that Real Madrid would appeal for the red card.
Vinicius Jr. is the team’s second-top scorer with eight league goals and five assists. The star winger is coming off a year where he was the runner-up for the Ballon d’Or trophy behind Manchester City’s Rodri.
Meanwhile, it was recently confirmed that Real Madrid will finally have David Alaba back in the mix after enduring a year-long knee injury. The Austria international will travel to Saudi Arabia to join the squad for the upcoming Spanish Super Cup semi-finals.
Atletico Madrid have several veterans on the chopping block
Atletico Madrid plan to upgrade their team by letting go of their aging stars in favour of younger players, starting in the ongoing winter transfer window. Veteran defenders Axel Witsel and Cesar Azpilicueta aren’t expected to continue at the club next season, as their contracts will expire in June and there have been no renewal talks.
Witsel, who turns 36 on Sunday, was one of the team’s top defenders last season. However, the Belgian international has played sporadically this year, starting in only seven league games. Letting go of Witsel will remove roughly €3.5 million net salary from the wage bill. Azpilicueta, meanwhile, has missed much of this season due to injury, with only two appearances to his name. The 35-year-old centre-back is free to negotiate a new deal with rival clubs.
Furthermore, the club must decide whether they’ll keep Reinildo Mandava long-term. The 30-year-old defender has a clause in his contract that will trigger an automatic renewal if he plays at least 45 minutes in 20 matches, but Diego Simeone has been playing Javi Galan more at the starting left-back position.
With Witsel, Mandava, and Azpilicueta seemingly on their way out, Atletico Madrid plan to sign Clement Lenglet to a permanent contract for a bargain-bin price due to Barcelona’s ongoing financial crisis. Los Rojiblancos are also interested in bringing in Juan Musso from Atalanta to provide internal competition for veteran goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Barcelona might have found a temporary fix
Barcelona’s bid to register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor has hit a roadblock after seeing their appeals rejected by the La Liga committee and the RFEF, so they’re forced to go through the courts to make it happen.
According to local reports, the Higher Sports Council (CSD) has granted the Blaugrana an urgent “precautionary measure” to register Olmo and Victor temporarily. However, this decision is unlikely to allow both players to compete in Barcelona’s upcoming Spanish Super Cup showdown against Athletic Bilbao in Saudi Arabia. But if the team advances to the final, there’s a possibility that the two players could feature.
It is worth to note that the CSD’s current action is not a permanent solution, as the council will have up to three months to thoroughly examine Barcelona’s case before issuing a final verdict.
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