Luka Modric has told France Football he and his Real Madrid teammates did not expect Cristiano Ronaldo or Zinedine Zidane to leave the club last summer.

Ronaldo ended a nine-year association with the European champions by joining Juventus while Zidane stepped down from his role as coach after masterminding a third successive UEFA Champions League triumph -- and Modric said the two pieces of news came as a shock to the Madrid dressing room.

"I didn't expect it for either of them...

Barcelona are facing a defensive crisis ahead of next week's games against Sevilla, Inter Milan and Real Madrid after Thomas Vermaelen was ruled out for six weeks.

Vermaelen injured his hamstring while on international duty with Belgium and returned to Barcelona for tests on the problem over the weekend.

The club confirmed on Monday that he will be sidelined for the next month-and-a-half, which could see him miss up to eight games.

Ernesto Valverde is already without Samuel Umtiti, with Barca refusing...

Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars has dashed Barcelona's hopes of signing Matthijs de Ligt in January, saying there is no chance the defender will leave in the winter window.

Sources have told ESPN FC that De Ligt and Ajax teammate Frenkie de Jong are being monitored by the La Liga champions.

Barca failed with two bids for De Jong, who had been their primary summer target of the two, but early-season problems in defence have forced them to rethink their strategy.

El Mundo Deportivo and Diario...