Madrid defender staying put

Raul Albiol has denied claims that he wants to leave Real Madrid in the summer despite struggling for games at the Bernabeu.

Albiol only played 17 games last season and a number of sources in Spain have reported that he is looking to leave Los Blancos after falling out of favour with boss Jose Mourinho. The 26-year-old moved to the capital in 2009 and was regular in his first season under former coach Manuel Pellegrini. However, injuries have hampered his progress in recent years and he is now way down the pecking order at the Bernabeu. Despite this, the Spanish international insists he is happy at the club and says he will stay for as long he is needed. "It is clear that I like being at Madrid and that I want to continue, but if the club do not have the same opinion, then they have to tell me this," he told reporters. "There is still a lot left for the next season. We will see. "What is clear is that I am a player of Madrid now. I was happy to see coach Jose Mourinho say that he counts on all the players for the next season."