La Liga champions Real Madrid are reportedly closely monitoring the progress of 22-year-old German striker Jonathan Burkardt this summer.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Jonathan Burkardt has popped up on the radar of Real Madrid over a possible move in the summer transfer window. Los Blancos will ponder about securing the services of a new striker if Mariano Diaz and Borja Mayoral depart from the Santiago Bernabeu.
Jonathan Burkardt is one of the rising stars of German football, with the 22-year-old going from strength to strength since joining 1.FSV Mainz 05 from Darmstadt 98 in 2014. The young striker was still a teenager when he made his first-team debut for the Bundesliga outfit four years ago, and he has gradually grown in stature since then.
The 22-year-old arguably has a sub-par record of 17 goals and seven assists in 81 appearances for Mainz. But Burkardt has risen in stature with every passing season and is starting to capture the attention of some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Real Madrid.
Real Madrid had seemingly finished bringing in new players in the summer transfer window after the arrivals of Antonio Rudiger and Aurelien Tchouameni. Carlo Ancelotti went on record to insist that the Merengues were not going to make any more signings, with the Italian tactician admittedly happy with the squad at his disposal.
However, Ancelotti’s stance has changed in the last few days amid uncertainties surrounding the futures of Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz and Borja Mayoral. Mayoral, in particular, seems set to leave Real Madrid this summer, with Getafe reportedly on the verge of singing in a €10 million deal.
The Spanish giants thus need to keep their options open, with several strikers, including Georginio Rutter, Roko Simic and Brian Brobbey, emerging on their radar. And Burkardt is also a viable target for Real Madrid, with the 22-year-old of the perfect age profile to learn the ropes from Karim Benzema before eventually becoming the first-choice striker.
But Real Madrid will only enter the market to sign Burkardt – or any other striker – if Mariano also departs from the Santiago Bernabeu, considering Eden Hazard will take Mayoral’s place as a central attacking option. It will be interesting to see if the 22-year-old becomes a top target for Real Madrid in the coming days.
