Real Madrid Transfer News: Marcelo Reportedly Eyed by Pep Guardiola, Top Rumours

Incoming Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola reportedly wants to bring Real Madrid full-back Marcelo to the Etihad Stadium this summer, but the Brazilian is not expected to leave Los Blancos anytime soon.

Citing reports in England, Sport's Sergi Exposito Gomez said Guardiola sees Marcelo as one of the best left-backs on the planet and thinks he would greatly improve the City squad.

The 27-year-old recently signed a new deal that includes a buyout clause of a whopping €120 million, however, and is believed to be very happy under new manager Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman made him one of his team captains, per Exposito Gomez.

Marcelo has been one of Real's most consistent performers of the 2015-16 season, seemingly liberated by the lack of alternative options on the left wing. Fabio Coentrao no longer plies his trade at the Santiago Bernabeu, and Alvaro Arbeloa is little more than a depth option at this stage of his career.

Here's a look at some of Marcelo's highlights:

Per WhoScored.com, he has started 21 Liga matches this season, and when he's healthy, he's an automatic starter and likely one of the first names on the team sheet.

According to AS (h/t Football Espana), he's a doubt for Saturday's derby match against Atletico Madrid, and the search for an alternative isn't an easy one. The report suggests using summer signing Danilo or Nacho in the left-back role―the former has done little since joining from Porto and is a natural fit on the right, the latter is a centre-back.

All of this highlights just how important Marcelo is to the team, and why he's unlikely to depart the Spanish capital anytime soon. Real have absolutely no reason to sell Marcelo, and thanks to his massive buyout clause, the club won't have to worry about Guardiola's reported interest, either.

Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

While City have the financial means to offer crazy sums of money for players, €120m is a huge sum—particularly for a defender. Even the very best forwards aren't expected to cost that much, and clubs are more willing to part with their cash for players who score goals than prevent them.

Things might change if Marcelo decides he's spent enough time in Spain and is open for a new challenge, but until that happens, he won't be leaving Los Blancos.

According to those same reports, per Exposito Gomez, Guardiola is also interested in Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho.

Elsewhere, Mundo Deportivo (h/t Daily Express' Bruce Archer) claims Los Blancos and Barcelona are both looking at Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez, amid rumours Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea are also interested.

The Algerian has been the breakout performer of the 2015-16 Premier League season, and after guiding the Foxes to European contention, he's expected to be a target for a host of clubs during the summer transfer window.

As shared by Squawka Football, his statistics speak for themselves:

Leicester are expected to fight tooth and nail to keep the 25-year-old at the King Power Stadium, and if he does leave the Foxes, he's likely to move to a different British team.

While Mahrez has shown incredible quality in the 2015-16 campaign, his value is still mainly based on one strong season. Both Real and Barcelona have plenty of raw talent in attacking midfield and out wide, where he prefers to play, and it's difficult to see either club spending top dollar on a player they have no need for.

Per Nick Harris of the Mail on Sunday, the Premier League's new TV deal means clubs like Leicester no longer have to sell their players for the right price―they can afford to hold out for ludicrous bids, and expect the Foxes to do just that with Mahrez next summer.  

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