BORUSSIA DORTMUND EYE BIG SIGNING — MADRID STAR JOAN MARTINEZ PRICED €70 MILLION
Real Madrid's highly-rated 18-year-old defender Joan Martinez is attracting interest from Borussia Dortmund. Los Blancos value the young centre-back highly, having included a €70 million release clause in his contract.
Dortmund pursue Madrid star with massive clause - COURTESY/PHOTO
Real Madrid excels in retaining their best young players. Even if they let children to leave at an early age, they monitor them and, if they believe they have grown, invite them back to the club for a discounted price.
It can be challenging for academy youngsters to make an impression with all the big names on the team. Raul Asencio and Gonzalo Garcia, two recent additions, have also struggled to gain minutes.
There is a young player about whom the Los Blancos are quite enthusiastic. The team believes Joan Martinez, a dynamic centre-back, has a promising future. Teams, though, are interested in signing the Spaniard after noticing his skills.
Borussia Dortmund Is Considering Martinez, Joan
The Athletic reports that Joan Martinez is being watched by Borussia Dortmund of Germany. They have joined a long list of European teams that are interested in the 18-year-old, so they are not the only team.
Although it seems unlikely that a deal will be reached, Los Blancos have included a €70 million release clause in the player's contract because they think the teenager could contribute to the team in the future. The defender, who was born in Valencia, is also eager to continue with the team because he wants to be the greatest.
After being out for more than a year due to a major injury, Martinez has just returned to action. Because they do not want to push him with his minutes and risk a relapse, the club is taking it gently. He might have already been promoted to the first team squad if the injury had not happened.
Dortmund must activate the player's massive release clause to begin talks with him. So is another obstacle because the German team is not used to paying so much for a single player, particularly one who has not established themselves.
A similar transaction to the one they made when they sold Nico Paz to Como is the only possible outcome if Los Blancos opt to sell. They added a buy-back option along with a 50% sell-on for the Argentine. They could do that with Martinez, but it probably will not happen until after the summer of 2026, which would allow him to make his first-team debut.
FRANKFURT REJOICE — RITSU DōAN’S SUPERB GOAL DECIDES TENSE MATCH OUTCOME
Ritsu Dōan's spectacular late solo goal secured a 1-0 Bundesliga win for Eintracht Frankfurt over Mainz. The Japanese winger's moment of magic broke the deadlock in a tight Rhine-Main derby, earning Frankfurt a fourth straight league victory.
Ritsu Dōan celebrates his goal with teammates. - Photo Credit: IMAGO/Marc Schueler
In a fiercely contested match at Deutsche Bank Park, Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Mainz by all three points thanks to an incredible solo goal by Ritsu Dōan late in the second half.
Frankfurt was hoping to extend its winning streak in the Bundesliga to four games against its local rivals, who defeated it 3-1 on its most recent visit in December of last year, after earning a respectable goalless draw at Napoli in the UEFA Champions League midweek.
Mainz, on the other hand, entered the game fresh off a 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen. Although the outcome ended Bo Henriksen's team's run of four consecutive losses in Germany's top division, they were still in the bottom two going into Sunday's Matchday 10 curtain-closer.
Few opportunities result from a tight first half
Both teams were unable to create clear-cut opportunities in the first half, which was a fiercely contested match. While the visitors occasionally threatened on the counter without putting goalkeeper Michael Zetterer to the test, Frankfurt had more possession but found it difficult to penetrate a well-organised Mainz defence.
Paul Nebel's inswinging cross from the left, which Benedict Hollerbach almost connected with, went harmlessly wide of the far post, marking the closest either team came to a breakthrough.
Midway through the first half, Jonathan Burkardt, playing against his old team for the first time since moving from Mainz in the summer, nearly stopped Lennard Maloney's back pass into Robin Zentner, but the goalie had enough on the ball to keep the Germany forward from scoring.
After Dino Toppmöller substituted Hugo Larsson and Jean-Mattéo Bahoya for Ellyes Skhirr and Farès Chaïbi, respectively, during the half, Frankfurt got better. Shots from Dōan and Bahoya were stopped, and Ansgar Knauff missed a close chance from a promising position.
Nevertheless, with nine minutes left, Dōan finally made the breakthrough. To secure all three points for the home team, the Japanese international expertly placed the ball beyond Zentner after receiving it on the right edge of the box and avoiding two defenders.
In addition to deciding the game, Dōan's outstanding solo goal completed a strong all-around effort for the 27-year-old.
He took up wise positions within the final third and skillfully connected plays, posing a constant threat to the Mainz defence. He was the best Frankfurt player in possession, as evidenced by his pass efficiency rating of 2.75.
Late in the second half, Dōan scored his first goal in the Bundesliga since Matchday 2, demonstrating both his technical skill and his ability to remain composed under duress. He ultimately received 69 per cent of the vote and was a worthy recipient of the Player of the Match award.
Frankfurt 1-0 Mainz, Goals by Dōan 81'
HARRY KANE CHASING RECORD-BREAKING LEWANDOWSKI SEASON GOAL TALLY
Harry Kane is chasing Robert Lewandowski's Bundesliga single-season scoring record of 41 goals. The Bayern Munich striker has 13 goals in 10 games, outpacing Lewandowski's record-setting pace.
Harry Kane chasing Bayern glory - Photo Credit: Getty Images
Harry Kane of Bayern Munich is aiming for the Bundesliga single-season scoring record held by Robert Lewandowski.
Harry Kane, who is currently in his third season at Bayern Munich, is poised to attempt Robert Lewandowski's significant Bundesliga milestone once more.
Even the renowned Bayern forward Gerd Müller probably did not anticipate his mark remaining intact for 49 years when he scored 40 goals in the 1971–72 season.
In the final minute of the Matchday 34 victory over Augsburg, Lewandowski scored his 41st league goal, breaking it with what was essentially the final kick of the 2020–21 campaign.
In his first Bundesliga season, England's record scorer came incredibly near with an incredible 36 goals in just 32 games.
The total even surpassed Uwe Seeler's 30 from the league's inaugural season in 1963–64, setting a new record for a player in their first Bundesliga term.
Kane helped Bayern reclaim the crown in 2024–2025 with an outstanding, if far from sufficient, 26 league goals. However, Kane's explosive start to the 2025–26 season has once again sparked speculation about his ability to succeed.
Kane has 13 goals after 10 games of the season, including a last-minute equaliser against Union Berlin. Despite having already missed one game due to injury, that is one more than Lewandowski had managed at the same stage in his record period.
Lewandowski and Kane have both had notable goal gluts: Kane scored 12 goals in the first seven games of this season, while the Pole, who featured in just 29 games in 20/21, scored 12 goals in nine and an amazing 17 in his last ten. However, the England skipper will need to repeat these successful runs this season if he hopes to set a new record.
However, there are encouraging indications that he might create league history. At a rate of one goal every 79 minutes, he scored 72 goals in just 68 Bundesliga games, which is faster than anyone else in the league's history.
Lewandowski at Dortmund and Bayern (100 minutes), Erling Haaland at Borussia Dortmund (87 minutes), and even the Bundesliga's all-time top scorer, Müller (105 minutes), could not top it.
As the only one of those exceptional goal scorers to win the Torjägerkanone for the Bundesliga's top goal scorer in each of their first two top-flight seasons in Germany, Kane also holds another league record.
Vincent Kompany, who faced Kane while playing for Manchester City in the English Premier League, grinned as he said, "As a coach, it is amazing to have such an all-around professional who is obsessed with scoring and performing week in and week out and who is never satisfied with anything less than goals."
"What makes him so valuable is the full package."