Real Madrid boss Zidane confirms Danilo 'gone'

Los Angeles (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said Saturday that Brazilian right-back Danilo is no longer with the Champions League trophy-holders, with Manchester City apparently set to benefit from his Bernabeu departure.

On the eve of Real’s pre-season friendly against English Premier League side Manchester United at Santa Clara, California, Zidane spoke in Los Angeles about changes to the Spanish giants, which include striker Alvaro Morata’s Friday transfer to English champions Chelsea.

“We’ve had some very good players move on and some young guys come in. We always try to make improvements,” Zidane said.

“Danilo has gone and Morata too. I’m not saying we’re lacking a striker, but there’s one missing that we had here last year. That’s the way it is. We’ll look at how we’re going to manage things. We’re all here and there are 28 players. That’s it. There are a lot of us.”

Several reports have Danilo, a 26-year-old right-back who helped Real’s Champions League titles runs the past two seasons, set for Manchester City pending a medical.