Real Madrid News
Real Madrid were offered a chance to sign veteran Serie A striker last summer – report
There has been a lot made of Real Madrid’s lack of backup in the No. 9 position this season. The Spanish capital club allowed Luka Jovic, Borja Mayoral, and Juanmi Latasa to leave but did not bring in any replacements to strengthen their options in the centre-forward slot.
As a result, manager Carlo Ancelotti has been left with just Karim Benzema as his main striker with Mariano Diaz as cover. The former has had injury problems this term while the latter is out of favour, forcing the manager to often rely on Rodrygo as an option through the centre.
But, according to a report from ABC (h/t Madrid Xtra), Real Madrid could have completely avoided this scenario as they could have signed Inter Milan striker Edin Dzeko in the summer.
Indeed, as per the report, the veteran forward’s agent had offered him to the Merengues in the summer transfer window last year.
Manager Ancelotti had requested the signing of an experienced backup striker as he had no faith in Mariano. And, Dzeko’s services were offered to the champions of Spain and Europe.
However, Real Madrid decided to pass up on the opportunity as they had concerns over the former Manchester City and AS Roma striker’s age and salary. Furthermore, the club management did not see the need to sign a player just for one season.
Eventually, Dzeko was not signed and he stayed put at Inter Milan, where the 36-year-old has scored 11 goals and set up five more in 28 appearances across all competitions.
While they may not have decided to rope in a striker last year, it seems like Real Madrid have learnt their lesson and are planning to sign a new backup centre-forward this summer to provide cover for Benzema, especially with Mariano’s contract also expiring at the end of the season.
Before he was hired by Bayern Munich as the direct replacement for Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel was closely linked with a move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
The German tactician had kept a close eye on the development at Santiago Bernabeu, especially with coach Carlo Ancelotti facing immense pressure following the club’s poor performances in domestic competitions.
A recent report from Jorge Picon has offered more details on the Tuchel saga, suggesting that the coach was even learning Spanish during his time at Ibiza, anticipating a potential move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
There were even contacts made between Tuchel’s entourage and Real Madrid. Although the talks were positive, the two sides were not able to reach an agreement.
Real Madrid did not guarantee him the job. They had informed Tuchel that Ancelotti may continue at the Bernabeu in the event the club win the UEFA Champions League this season.
This bit of uncertainty played a critical role in convincing Tuchel to join Bayern Munich instead. The former Chelsea boss was hired as a direct replacement for Nagelsmann, who was sacked after a poor season in the Bundesliga by the club’s high standards.
However, Tuchel’s move to Bayern appears to be a missed opportunity on the German’s part, as Real Madrid have recently intensified their search for a new manager.
It is clear that the club’s hierarchy is yet to reach a consensus over the future of Ancelotti, with some believing that a change is necessary come the end of the season. In fact, the club’s president Florentino Perez has been an admirer of Tuchel’s compatriot Nagelsmann.
The coaching prodigy is one of the candidates to replace Ancelotti in the summer, though it is Mauricio Pochettion who is reportedly leading the race so far.
