Argentina under-20 striker Lautaro Martinez could join Real Madrid on loan this summer, according to reports.
Lautaro Martinez plies his trade in the Argentinian league for Racing de Avellaneda and is currently representing his national youth side in a summer tournament in L’Alcudia in Spain. There have been reports earlier of the player attracting interest from the two clubs in the Spanish capital, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, thanks to his performances in the summer event.
El Real sigue a Lautaro Martínez, pero el jugador tiene una cláusula de 8 millones de euroshttps://t.co/riSH1Izzdl pic.twitter.com/g91DpOZcE0
— Diario Olé (@DiarioOle) July 30, 2016
Racing president Victor Blanco spoke to Radio Belgrano, revealing that the club had sat down for informal talks with Real Madrid regarding a possible transfer for the player. The club values the player close to €8m.
“We had some informal chats with the people from Real Madrid. We would not rule out loaning him out, but with an option to buy for a high price,” Blanco was quoted saying as per Ole.
A loan would be the right move for both Lautaro and Real Madrid as it would provide the striker a chance to gauge himself in Europe while the club would be able to get a closer look at the Argentine’s talents and skill before deciding to make the move permanent. If Lautaro Martinez was to arrive in Madrid, the striker would most likely partner fellow Latin American striker Sergio Diaz, who was signed this summer, for the Castilla, Real Madrid’s B team.
The report states that Racing are most likely to consider parting with the player if they were to sign a striker this summer. There have been reported interest from Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia but the talks between Real Madrid and Racing de Avellaneda, albeit informal, may have opened the doors for the striker to secure a move to play at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid would be without a host of big names ahead of their Super Cup clash against Sevilla.
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is facing a huge selection headache as the Frenchman is set to miss six of the regular starting eleven for their UEFA Super Cup clash against Sevilla. Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos, Pepe, Keylor Navas and Karim Benzema are all set to miss the fixture against the Europa League winners on August 9.
While Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe are on an extended holiday after their Euro 2016 triumph and due back on August 10, Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos are set to join the squad on August 6, just three days ahead of the Sevilla tie and would most likely not be back to match fitness for the match.
Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas is also ruled out of action as he continues his recovery after undergoing surgery on the heel. Spanish publication AS have now reported that Karim Benzema is struggling with a hip problem and is a major doubt for the European Super Cup.
While there would be extra pressure on the squad players to perform, the absence of the mega stars would provide the fresh faces and other players a chance to shine for Los Blancos as Zinedine Zidane prepares for his first appearance in the European Super Cup as a manager.
