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Real Madrid want to host La Liga games at training ground when season restarts - sources

Real Madrid are considering playing home games at their Valdebebas training ground rather than the Bernabeu when the coronavirus pandemic allows La Liga to restart, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

The club have been analysing the possibility over the last two weeks and senior figures are broadly in favour of the idea, given that this season's remaining games will almost certainly be played behind closed doors.

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Club sources told ESPN that the move from the Bernabeu stadium to their Real Madrid City training complex is being considered for "practical and security" reasons.

The key factor is the ongoing renovation work at the Bernabeu, which began in 2019 and is due to be completed in 2022.

That was put on hold for two weeks earlier this month when all construction in Spain halted due to the country's tightened state of emergency, before measures were relaxed last week.

The club believe that the renovation work could even be sped up if the team are not to use the stadium this summer.

Instead, the venue for Madrid's six remaining home league games -- against Eibar, Valencia, Mallorca, Getafe, Alaves and Villarreal -- would be the Alfredo di Stefano, a 6,000 capacity stadium which usually hosts Madrid's B team, Castilla.

Madrid's players are not opposed to the idea of playing games at the training ground, recognising that it would be more convenient for them and would avoid the unusual feeling of playing at an empty Bernabeu.

The Valdebebas complex was placed in quarantine on March 12 when the club's basketball player Trey Thomkins tested positive for coronavirus.

Madrid's football and basketball players share common areas and the decision was taken to close the site completely, with players training individually at home since then.

A date is yet to be set for a return to group training sessions, although Spanish sport's governing body the Consejo Superior de Deportes announced on Sunday that La Liga and the Spanish football federation had "reached an agreement in principle which covers the main aspects which affect Spanish football in the context of the health crisis."