Serie A giants Napoli have reportedly set their sights on Real Madrid attacking duo Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz over a January swoop.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz have popped up on the radar of Napoli over a possible move in the January transfer window. The Serie A giants have been forced into the transfer market for a striker due to Victor Osimhen’s facial injury.
Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz play bit-part roles at Real Madrid, with Karim Benzema, the undisputed first-choice striker. Neither has managed to impress too much when given a chance either, which is why they have mostly made appearances off the bench.
Between them, Jovic and Mariano have turned out only nine times for Real Madrid this season, raking in a mere 196 minutes of game-time. While Jovic has made eight substitute appearances, Mariano has featured just once. So, it is hardly surprising that both the strikers have question marks surrounding their Real Madrid futures, with Napoli now joining the race to sign him.
The current Serie A table-toppers have been forced into the transfer market for a striker after Victor Osimhen sustained a facial injury this week. With their leading attacker out on the sidelines, Napoli must bring in an emergency cover, which is why they have now turned their attention towards Real Madrid.
However, with Jovic and Mariano struggling to perform consistently of late, it is hard to see how either of them can fill Osimhen’s boots sufficiently. Nevertheless, the Real Madrid attacking duo has emerged as possible options to reinforce the Napoli attack in the January transfer window.
Interestingly, Osimhen was heavily linked with Real Madrid over a possible future transfer before injury struck him. However, with the Nigerian striker ruled out for three months, speculation surrounding his future will take a back seat for now. As for Napoli’s pursuit of Jovic and Mariano, Real Madrid would be willing to offload them.
However, the Spanish giants will only allow one of the two strikers to depart, considering there is no other viable backup to Benzema. Both Jovic and Mariano have been linked with other Serie A clubs, with recent reports even claiming that Jovic was open to joining AC Milan. So, it remains to be seen if either Real Madrid striker ends up joining Napoli or if they both make their way to some other club instead.
