MADRID — Four of Spain's largest construction firms are competing for a contract to upgrade soccer club Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium, having submitted preliminary offers last week, five sources close to the matter said on Wednesday.

Infrastructure heavyweights Ferrovial, Sacyr, FCC and Acciona have each paired up with local companies to bid for the project called "Espai Barça" — or "Barca Space" — the sources said.

One source in the construction sector said the project was worth approximately 300 million euros ($340 million).

After a harrowing week in which his reputation was dragged through the mud, Barcelona coach Quique Setien came out fighting by overseeing a spectacular 4-1 win away to Villarreal which showed the 61-year-old's coaching abilities are still in tact.

The superb display might not be enough to prevent Real Madrid from winning the title as they hold a four-point lead over Barca with four games left, but it was enough to get a vote of confidence from the club's president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

Back in January, Pep Guardiola was asked by a reporter if he thought Sergio Agüero was the world’s best No. 9. Guardiola’s response was classic: “The best is Messi. Messi is (the best) number nine, number 10, number 11, number seven, number six, number five, number four…” 

Real Madrid took a seven-point lead at the top of LaLiga following a 1-0 victory over Athletic Club with Barcelona still to play its game in hand later Sunday. With only four matches remaining for Los Blancos, a 34th league title — and first in three years — beckons for Zinedine Zidane’s men.

Today’s victory wasn’t without controversy in the eyes of Blaugrana supporters as Real earned a second-straight 1-0 victory courtesy of a Sergio Ramos penalty. 

MADRID — Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos kept his nerve to score a late penalty and secure a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Getafe on Thursday for a sixth consecutive La Liga victory to take his side one step closer to winning the title.

Ramos coolly passed the ball into the net to break the deadlock in the 79th minute after Dani Carvajal was felled by the trailing leg of Getafe's Mathias Olivera, who was earlier denied a penalty after being knocked over by Carvajal.

MADRID — Spain's World Cup-winning captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas has called time on his five-year spell with Porto after his contract with the Portuguese club expired on Wednesday.

Casillas, 39, suffered a heart attack during a training session last year and has not played any competitive football since April 2019.

MADRID — Real Madrid have taken the final step towards officially launching their women's team after the Spanish soccer federation approved a deal to merge with CD Tacon, the club said in a statement on Wednesday.

Real agreed to absorb Tacon last year after they were promoted to the top division of Spanish women's soccer, a move that was approved by the club's members at last year's general assembly.

BARCELONA — Barcelona gave up more ground to Real Madrid in LaLiga's title race on Tuesday after being held to a 2-2 draw at home to Atletico Madrid as a late penalty from Saul Niguez canceled out Lionel Messi's 700th career goal.

The draw meant the Catalans stayed second in the standings on 70 points and leaders Real Madrid, who have 71, will go four points clear at the top with five games left if they beat Getafe at home on Thursday.