Leeds United are reportedly readying an offer to secure the signing of Mariano Diaz from Real Madrid in the January transfer window.
According to a report from El Nacional, Real Madrid striker Mariano Diaz could be on his way out in the January transfer window, with Premier League side Leeds United preparing an offer to sign him up.
Mariano is currently in his second spell with Real Madrid. The striker first joined Los Blancos way back in 2011 from boyhood club CF Badalona and featured for the club’s C team and the Castilla outfit while making a handful of appearances for the first team. He left the club in the summer of 2017, signing for Olympique Lyon.
Mariano enjoyed a prolific debut season in France, which prompted Real Madrid to re-sign him in 2018 and even hand him the No. 7 jersey after Cristiano Ronaldo had left the club. However, the 28-year-old has struggled to get meaningful game-time in his second spell at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Karim Benzema and Luka Jovic firmly ahead of him in the pecking order.
Indeed, the centre-forward has managed just one appearance in the ongoing campaign. Real Madrid are open to a sale in the January window, and Leeds United have shown a strong interest in signing him up in January.
The Whites suffered during the injury-enforced absence of Patrick Bamford this season, with the likes of Rodrigo and Tyler Roberts not delivering the goods in front of goal consistently. Joe Gelhardt has shown a lot of promise but still lacks experience at the highest level. So, bringing in another seasoned striker in January as cover for Bamford in the No. 9 slot makes a lot of sense.
To that end, Leeds have been linked with several options, including Mariano. It is now being claimed that the Yorkshire-based outfit are ready to act on their interest in the Real Madrid star by submitting a formal offer for his services.
The report claims that the Spanish capital outfit are unlikely to stand in the way of an exit in January should a reasonable offer come along. It is further stated that Leeds United believe an offer of around €20 million could be enough for them to clinch the signing of the 28-year-old striker.
Whether they go ahead with a bid for the Real Madrid striker next month or look at other options such as Arthur Cabral of FC Basel remains to be seen.
