Real Madrid News
Real Madrid aware they need to sign a striker, but no player attracts them – report
Real Madrid’s 0-4 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg exposed their shortcomings.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men were far from convincing and it can be understood by the fact that they attempted a mere seven shots, out of which only three were on target.
Last year, in the same round, the story was entirely different. Back then, veteran forward Karim Benzema chipped in with three goals across both legs to assert his dominance.
But this year, the Frenchman looked far from his usual self. And this is the reason why Madrid are exploring the market to sign an out-and-out No. 9 who can seamlessly replace Benzema in the team.
In that context, Onda Cero (h/t Madrid Xtra) has claimed that Real Madrid are well aware of the problem at hand. They understand they need to sign a forward for the next season but the issue is, no player on the market attracts them.
One might argue about Erling Haaland, but it must be noted that while the Manchester City forward is indeed on Madrid’s agenda, his acquisition is planned for the summer of 2024 when a certain clause gets activated in his contract.
Until then, Real Madrid will have to find a way mostly because Benzema is not getting any younger and he has also struggled with fitness this season. In his absence, Rodrygo has led the charge as false 9, but the manager just cannot afford to spend the entirety of the season like this.
Furthermore, Kylian Mbappe is another option the team might consider, but it must be noted that if Paris Saint-Germain lose both Lionel Messi and Neymar in the summer, there is absolutely no chance that they will allow the French forward to leave.
All this leaves Real Madrid in a rather difficult state as they simply cannot continue to rely solely on Benzema for another season.
Even though Fran Garcia will be arriving to bolster the left-back slot, MARCA (h/t Madrid Xtra) is reporting that Real Madrid’s interest in Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies is ‘serious’.
The left-back position emerged as a major issue for Real Madrid during the 2022/23 season as Ferland Mendy spent a large chunk of the campaign out injured. With David Alaba reluctant to reprise the role, manager Carlo Ancelotti had to turn to Nacho and Eduardo Camavinga as options.
Heading into the new season, Real Madrid wish to address this issue. The plan is to offload Ferland Mendy or even possibly use him as a makeweight in the Harry Kane operation.
And, Davies is being targeted to replace the Frenchman. The Canadian international, whose current market value is €70 million, has developed into one of the most reliable left-backs in Europe during his time at Bayern Munich.
Despite having had to deal with injuries, Davies finished the 2022/23 season with a return of three goals and eight assists from 38 matches across all competitions.
The possibility of the 22-year-old pairing up with Vinicius Jr on Real Madrid’s left flank does seem very appealing. And, that is why, Los Blancos are understood to be willing to pay what it takes to sign the Bayern Munich star.
However, the Bavarians have no interest in selling Davies at this moment. He still has two years left on his contract with the German champions which does give them an upper hand.
But if Davies decides not to hold talks over a renewal and pushes for an exit, it could open the door for a possible move from Real Madrid. Even then, Bayern Munich could hold for a steep asking price, but the Merengues could be willing to go the extra mile in their efforts to sign Davies.
