Real Madrid News
Real Madrid have been tracking Haaland since 2017, but prioritised Vinicius, Rodrygo deals
A recent report from MARCA has offered an illuminating piece on Real Madrid and their interest in Erling Haaland.
As per the Spanish news outlet, Haaland had been on the books of Real Madrid since 2017. The youngster’s name would often come up at the Valdebebas offices.
Real Madrid signed Martin Odegaard back in 2015 and had taken note of the Norwegian market. Two years later, they had been alerted by Haaland, who was scoring goals for fun.
Haaland, though, at the time had not made his professional breakthrough. Real Madrid, therefore, did not stress the young Norwegian much and wanted him to make a breakthrough before they consider an approach.
Real Madrid, at the time, had other priorities. In 2017, for example, the club secured the signing of Vinicius Junior, who they believed could go on to achieve bigger things than Haaland. Soon enough, they also reserved their resources for Rodrygo.
The possibility of signing Haaland was not considered at the time. The player soon joined RB Salzburg for a fee of around €8 million. Even then, Real Madrid had kept tabs on the Norwegian and in one way or another, they were willing to pounce.
However, it was Borussia Dortmund who stepped in. The aggressive approach from the Bundesliga outfit, coupled with their sporting project convinced the late Mino Raiola, as the forward joined the club on a cut-price deal.
Ever since his move to Dortmund, Haaland was never quite close to joining Real Madrid. His enormous growth meant that the club had to play keep up, in terms of the financial requirements and the sporting project.
Haaland, ultimately, opted to join Manchester City to play under Pep Guardiola last summer. And having broken all sorts of records in his first season, the forward is set to cost a fortune, even if his reported release clause becomes active in 2024.
Despite that, Real Madrid have a keen interest in signing the Norwegian goal-machine in 2024 to replace club captain Karim Benzema.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid eye €3.5 million-rated relegated Premier League striker to reinforce attack
Following a difficult season with troubles in La Liga and the Champions League preventing Real Madrid from retaining their crowns, Los Blancos move towards a transformative summer, full of innovations.
Real Madrid managed to clear plenty of unwanted figures at the club, with a huge relief on the wage bill. However, with an array of exits, the squad has contracted and thus replacements are being inquired.
Apart from the high-profile departure of Karim Benzema, fringe players have also bid their farewell.
Among those names is Mariano Diaz, who was Madrid’s backup striker prior to his withdrawal. Several names have been put on the table to fill his absence as the club largely aim to address their lack of depth.
According to Arancha Rodriguez (via RM4Arab), Leeds United striker Rodrigo Moreno is one of the names gaining consensus in the Madrid hierarchy. Moreover, Joselu has also been considered as a viable alternative.
The two favourites to replace Mariano have proven to be important figures for their clubs as both strikers maintain a starting role.
Playing for Espanyol, Joselu ended the La Liga campaign as the third top scorer, only behind Benzema and Lewandowski. Considering Espanyol’s relegation, such a feat looks even more impressive. The Spaniard secured 19 goals in all competitions.
On the other hand, Rodrigo Moreno recorded 16 goals last season across all competitions. Similar to Joselu’s case, the Spanish international also suffered relegation with Leeds, in spite of his good numbers.
With both players offering adequate output in struggling sides, Real Madrid’s interest is practical. Moreover, considering both Espanyol and Leeds were relegated, their asking price will undeniably lower, which enables the Merengues to sign one of the two targets at a more convenient rate.
It is claimed that Rodrigo has a release clause worth €3.5 million which Los Blancos would have to trigger to sign him from Leeds United.
It now remains to be seen whether Carlo Ancelotti & co. go after the former Valencia man or move for Joselu instead.
