Real Madrid captain Federico Valverde was sent to hospital for stitches following a training ground fight with team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni ahead of this weekend’s Clasico with LaLiga leaders Barcelona, according to a report from AS.

The dramatic events following a confrontation between the pair on Wednesday in which Valverde and Tchouameni had to be separated by team-mates after squaring up.

It is reported that Valverde had refused to shake Tchouameni’s hand in the changing room on Thursday, creating a “very uncomfortable” and “unpleasant” atmosphere at training.

And it ultimately boiled over, with team-mates unable to separate the pair before they came to blows, with Tchouameni said to have landed a clean punch on the Uruguayan.

That led to Valverde suffering a cut that required him to be taken to the hospital for stitches.

While Valverde needed only brief treatment, the repercussions at Madrid could be severe. Disciplinanry proceedings have been opened by the club, while CEO José Ángel Sánchez was reported to have held an emergency meeting with the players in the wake of the incident.

The bust-up is the latest episode in a tumultuous week for Madrid, who face the prospect of Barcelona retaining the LaLiga title in the Clasico.

Barca will successfully defend their crown if they avoid defeat at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Left-back Alvaro Carreras confirmed he had an altercation with centre-back Antonio Rudiger, while over 30 million of the club’s fans have signed a petition demanding that Kylian Mbappe be sold.

Mbappe has become a symbol for Madrid’s current woes and received widespread criticism for his decision to leave the camp last weekend and go on holiday with his girlfriend as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

More to follow