Real Madrid could play a pre-season friendly vs Schalke in Germany next month | OneFootball

Real Madrid began their pre-season under new manager Jose Mourinho this Monday, with the players undergoing medical examinations and taking part in their first training session.

Preparations continued today at Valdebebas as the Portuguese tactician continues to work with the handful of first-team players at his disposal, along with a number of young talents from the academy.

As things stand, Real Madrid have officially announced only two pre-season friendly matches for this summer: one against Fiorentina in Austria, and another vs newly-promoted La Liga club Deportivo La Coruna.

Real Madrid to face Schalke?

Now, according to BILD in Germany, Real Madrid could add another pre-season friendly fixture to their calendar against Schalke.

According to the report, the newly-promoted Bundesliga side is planning a high-profile friendly against Real Madrid at the Veltins Arena, with the match provisionally scheduled for August 16.

Real Madrid could face Schalke in a friendly. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

While the agreement has not yet been finalised, discussions have been ongoing for several weeks and only minor details remain before the fixture can be confirmed.

With the game being planned for August 16, Real Madrid are expected to travel with a squad featuring stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham, who will be back after their holidays post World Cup, provided the club’s pre-season schedule remains unchanged.

Opening match postponed

Real Madrid’s participation in the game against Schalke was dependent on La Liga authorities approving a postponement of their opening league fixture.

With several Madrid players involved deep into the World Cup, their opening game against Real Sociedad has now been postponed to August 26, opening the door for them to add another friendly on the weekend when the season would have started.

The match will take place at Veltins Arena. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)

If the plan goes ahead, the friendly in Germany would become Real’s final pre-season match.

Mourinho the driving force

One of the key reasons negotiations have progressed is Mourinho’s interest in taking Real Madrid to Gelsenkirchen.

The Portuguese coach is said to be keen on playing at Schalke’s stadium, helping reduce the financial demands normally associated with arranging a friendly against the Spanish giants.

Even so, Real Madrid are still expected to charge a fee running into the low millions of euros for the appearance, meaning Schalke would likely need to set relatively high ticket prices in order to cover the costs of staging the event.

Interestingly, Schalke had already explored the possibility of facing Real Madrid last summer.

That proposal ultimately fell through because of scheduling conflicts in the German club’s pre-season calendar. This time, however, both clubs appear much closer to reaching an agreement to face off at the Veltins Arena.