Real Madrid have had an underwhelming summer thus far. The reigning UEFA Champions League winners lots star forward Cristiano Ronaldo and manager Zinedine Zidane and while Julen Lopetegui took over the team, they have not been able to replace the Champions League all-time leading scorer.
Los Blancos were linked with moves for players such as Eden Hazard and Harry Kane, but could not get any of them. They are close to complete a late deadline signing, though, as they are details away from re-signing Mariano Diaz from Lyon.
When Madrid sold Diaz to Lyon last summer, the striker left Los Blancos in an €8 million deal although Real Madrid still held ownership over 35% of the player’s rights just in case they wanted to get him back to Santiago Bernabeu. They have now decided to activate the buy-back clause… despite the fact Diaz reached an agreement with Sevilla.
Real Madrid had 48 hours to respond to Sevilla’s offer, and ended up sealing a move for the 25-year-old striker, who will now bolster Madrid’s attacking options. He is not expected to feature with the club at a large capacity, but he should be able to become Karim Benzema’s backup over Borja Mayoral, who once again finds himself well below the manager’s pecking order.
The 25-year-old Diaz is coming off from a highly successful season in Ligue 1. He netted 21 goals and added seven assists in 45 appearances across all competitions for Les Olympians in 2017/18.
