He’s the man of the week, yet not many remember he’s not property of Real Madrid. The club’s window for paying the transfer fee is about to expire, and it doesn’t seem his form in the past two games will change their mind. The Mexican arrived as a last-minute option to replace Juventus-bound Álvaro Morata as a loan deal. The Spaniard’s future seems to be far from the Bernabéu.
If Carlo Ancelotti stays at Real, he’ll stick with Karim Benzema as the starting #9. Therefore, Florentino Pérez will have to head to the transfer market and look for another striker. The Frenchman can get injured or suspended, making the availability of a striker necessary. It’s too soon to tell if the board will look for another low-profile player, still all the rumors for next season involve important ones. Let’s see what’s out there.
Radamel Falcao
Yes, despite the telenovela-style story from last summer, Falcao’s still in the rumor mill. The Colombian is undoubtedly having a poor season with Manchester United, yet his talent’s still there. While it’s unclear if Real ever desired to sign Radamel or not, Jorge Mendes keeps pushing to make his client’s dream come true. He would be an expensive signing, and his current form and age don’t make it too seductive.
Though it’s only a rumor and it has many cons, there’s a lot he could provide to the club. His animal instinct inside the box is a great contrast to Benzema’s associative style of play. Much like Van Nistelrooy a bit ago, his age and experience came in handy to the point titles were won. The only drawback might be Falcao’s reluctance to being the second choice. Repeating Chicharito’s situation for a big price tag isn’t a smart move.
Robert Lewandowski
A long shot because of the club that owns him and the transfer fee. Nevertheless, his alleged pursuit of a Bayern exit might make him the most desirable striker on the market. Still young and with excellent technical and physical conditions, he can start on any big team out there. Rumors point that Madrid would’ve already agreed with the player, only missing the tough negotiations with the Bundesliga champions.
Similar to Falcao, his reputation, talent and price tag make him an automatic starter. Bringing him as a Benzema substitute would be a waste of money and cut his development. Investing in him would require the disintegration of the BBC. Ancelotti has stated over and over again that the trio is an essential part of his system. Because of this, we’ll really have to wait and see how things go down in summer.
Luciano Vietto
Followed by all big La Liga clubs and many other European teams, his youth and bargain cost make him the most appealing choice. The relationship with Villarreal is good and would make the talks easier. However, Vietto is a big part of the Yellow Submarine’s project and would take a lot of convincing. This season he has exploded into one of the league’s best newcomers. FC Barcelona is also fighting for him, potentially increasing the value of the fee.
He’s only 21 years old and it would make him an ideal candidate for being the substitute #9. Karim at some point needs to sit out when he’s not performing well or gets injured. Slowly giving Luciano minutes would set him up for becoming the starting striker for many years to come. Out of the three, he seems to be the most plausible operation, still persuading him of a secondary role will be a hard task.
