La Liga champions Real Madrid are reportedly interested in signing 22-year-old Swiss international Noah Okafor from Red Bull Salzburg.
According to a report by Spanish publication AS, Noah Okafor is the subject of interest from Real Madrid over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The reigning La Liga champions are tracking the 22-year-old Red Bull Salzburg forward’s progress.
Noah Okafor spent his formative years in his homeland Switzerland, progressing through the ranks rapidly at FC Basel before making his first-team debut for the club in May 2018. He was with the Swiss outfit for two more years before joining Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020.
The 22-year-old has come leaps and bounds since then, even though he is not the undisputed first-choice forward for the Austrian club. Okafor has a decent tally of 25 goals and 17 assists in 77 appearances for Red Bull Salzburg. And even though his place in the starting lineup is not set in stone, he has done enough to capture the attention of Real Madrid.
The interest from Real Madrid stems from the uncertainties surrounding the futures of Mariano Diaz and Borja Mayoral. While Carlo Ancelotti recently insisted that Real Madrid would not enter the market for another player in the summer transfer window, they might have to reluctantly look for a striker.
There is no concrete interest in Mariano at the moment, but Borja Mayoral is reportedly on the verge of joining Getafe, despite some recent comments by his agent. Real Madrid will thus need to be ready to sign a replacement for the two backup strikers, bringing Okafor into the picture.
The 22-year-old Swiss international is not the only young forward on Real Madrid’s radar, with Los Blancos also tracking the progress of Roko Simic, Benjamin Sesko, Armando Broja, and a few other strikers. Sesko is even eager to join Real Madrid over any other suitor, according to recent reports.
But a move for Okafor – or any other striker for that matter – will only see the light of day this summer if both Borja Mayoral and Mariano Diaz leave, with Ancelotti trying to groom Eden Hazard as a backup striker. It will be interesting to see if the 22-year-old becomes a top target for the Merengues.
