Real Madrid star Fede Valverde has reportedly been hospitalised after an escalation in hostilities between the Uruguayan and his team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni which began at the training ground on Wednesday.
Yesterday saw the two players involved in a heated altercation stemming from a foul made during the session, which continued on into the dressing room.
But Marca reports that a day late, tempers continued to run hot, with a fight involving the two players said to be ‘very serious’ by a number within the set-up.
Other team-mates of Tchouameni and Valverde are thought to have intervened before the latter was taken to hospital, with the incident described as ‘much worse’ than the earlier spat by the publication’s sources.
Valverde is believed to have refused to shake his French counterpart’s hand upon returning to the site of yesterday’s bust-up, stoking a negative atmosphere that continued into the training session itself.
An accidental blow during a physical fracas in the dressing room after the session – which the publication believes was not started by Tchouameni – cut Valverde, prompting his decision to head to the emergency room.
Hostilities between Aurelien Tchouameni and Fede Valverde are believed to have intensified
On the same day, Mbappe was snapped smiling as he drove away from the training ground
In the aftermath, head coach Alvaro Arbeloa is believed to have called an emergency crisis meeting with a view to breaking the tension.
But hours after the incident, footage of Kylian Mbappe – himself at the centre of swirling drama in the Spanish capital – emerged showing the France captain driving away from the Valdebebas complex appearing to be laughing and smiling widely.
Amid the noxious atmosphere of discontent in Madrid showing no signs of breaking, some of Arbeloa’s players are said to be barely on speaking terms with one another -and six of his stars are thought not to engage with him at all.
Arbeloa for his part has been focusing on tamping down speculation that Mbappe had broken club protocol after he was snapped on a yacht in Sardinia with his girlfriend Ester Exposito last weekend.
The 27-year-old was recovering from a muscular issue in his left leg which kept him out of Arbeloa’s side, later returning to training on Monday.
Mbappe himself also released a statement via a spokesperson, stressing that the criticism he was receiving was ‘NOT corresponding to the reality and the work that Kylian does daily for the good of the team’.
Outlets in Spain however reported that amongst his team-mates there was ‘incomprehension’ over the timing of his holiday, and a petition calling for the player to leave the club gathered traction on Wednesday evening.
Before taking the holiday, Mbappe had come in for previous criticism for alleged ‘individualism’ in the dressing room, and reportedly got caught up in a heated confrontation with one of Arbeloa’s assistants during a training session.
The World Cup winner had also been scrutinised for appearing to like and then un-like a post appearing to call for Jose Mourinho to return to Madrid and replace Arbeloa at the end of the season.
Discontent among Real Madrid’s ranks come as the club prepares for the final El Clasico of the season – where defeat could see loathed rivals Barcelona crowned LaLiga champions.
The Catalan giants sit 11 points clear of their old foe, and only Madrid’s victory against Espanyol last weekend stopped Los Blancos from having to give Barcelona a guard of honour when the champions-in-waiting welcome them to Camp Nou on Sunday.