Real Madrid's Florentino Perez Reportedly Rejects Barcelona's Bernabeu Request

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez denied a personal request from Barcelona chief Josep Maria Bartomeu—directly ahead of El Clasico—to host the Copa del Rey final at the Bernabeu on May 30.

Santi Gimenez of AS reports Bartomeu took a moment to speak with Perez during the pre-match lunch ahead of Barca's Clasico win over Los Blancos on Sunday.

"Despite his plea, the reply from the Madrid president was a definitive 'no,'" writes Gimenez.

This report follows on from others that suggest Madrid will block the upcoming final—to be contested by Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao—from being held in the Spanish capital. Pablo Polo of Marca previously wrote Madrid have "no intention" of letting the showpiece take place in their backyard.

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Even so, Polo notes this would still be the case if Carlo Ancelotti's men made it to the final:

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Two years ago 'Los Blancos' issued a statement to the Spanish Football Association noting their desire not to hold any more finals in their home stadium, and that included playing them as well as just organising them. And it seems the club's position on the matter hasn't changed since then as it hasn't offered to host this year's final.

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Both Barca and Bilbao have joined forced to make an official request, explained Albert Soler, the Blaugrana director of sporting institutional relations, per beIN SPORTS.

"Since both clubs wish to play the final at the Bernabeu, we made a formal request to Real Madrid and, therefore, will be waiting for an official response," Soler said. "So far we have not considered any other option than the Bernabeu, as we await an answer from the federation." 

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Sport previously suggested Madrid "are looking for excuses to reject the proposal." AS (h/t Sport) indicated "the club were thinking of using their B team, Castilla, as an excuse for not allowing the final to take place there."

Valencia's Mestalla and Sevilla's La Cartuja have been reported as potential other venues, per Moises Llorens and Nika Cuenca of AS. RFEF organiser Miguel Angel Lopez admitted "if Real Madrid don't want the final to be played at the Bernabeu, then it can't be played there," per Marca.

One official believes plans should be sorted well in advance, per AS:

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Although it appears Madrid won't budge, a Bernabeu-hosted final would present some interesting political ramifications. A Madrid stadium filled with Catalan and Basque fans would be quite a spectacle for the Spanish game, particularly as the senyera flag would likely come out in force.

With just over two months until the final is scheduled to take place, a decision needs to be made soon. Perez appears to be standing strong, but as noted in Polo's report, this isn't anything new. It's perhaps time both the Barca and Bilbao camps turn their attention elsewhere.

Supporters need a quick response to ensure their plans aren't ruined, while the players will want to have plenty of time to prepare. An exciting final awaits once the formalities have been included, no matter where it is destined to take place.