Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest on Radamel Falcao Pursuit and More

Football overlords Real Madrid are just getting a bit greedy now, aren’t they?

Though they’ve already secured the services of World Cup stars James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos this summer, it’s apparently not enough, and Los Blancos are thirsty for more talent in their ranks.

How Real could improve their squad ahead of the 2014/15 campaign would have left even the brightest football minds scratching their heads. However, the European champions have cracked it and are reportedly moving for Monaco star Radamel Falcao—per Carmen Colino of AS.

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Colino writes that with Karim Benzema the only recognised out-and-out striker in Madrid’s squad, the club are eager to bring the Colombian to the Bernabeu to bolster their already potent attack.

Falcao himself is reportedly keen for the move, too, with AS revealing via Twitter that he’s willing to take a hefty pay cut to move to the Spanish capital:

While many sceptics will label the Falcao transfer saga as just another rumour, Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim has added fuel to the fire by suggesting that the 28-year-old is only his player “for now”—per Chris Waugh of the Daily Mail:

“For now, he is a Monaco player and I am counting on him.”

Falcao will take to north London for the Emirates Cup at the start of next month with Monaco and will be central to Jardim’s plans—providing he still belongs to the Ligue 1 side by that time.

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The Colombian signed for Monaco for £50 million just last summer, per BBC Sport, but a season-long loan switch to Real is reportedly on the cards for €12.5 million with an option to buy at the end of the campaign for €33 million—per Colino.

Though you could probably look down the back of one of the Bernabeu sofas and find enough to fund the Falcao transfer, Real are reportedly holding out for the sale of forward Angel di Maria to get the Colombian in white—as Ben Hayward of Goal.com revealed.

Hayward states that the potential €60 million coming in from selling Di Maria to Paris Saint-Germain will give Real the licence to move for Falcao’s signature, and like last year, they may just leave it late.

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Gareth Bale moving to La Liga from the Premier League and Mesut Ozil going in the other direction came very late in last summer’s transfer window, and club president Florentino Perez said that there’s still time for a big move to go through—per Hayward:

"Right up until the last day something can happen. Be it buying players or selling them."

Falcao is, of course, one of world football’s brightest talents, but it’s the necessity of his transfer that has come under the microscope recently.

If Benzema was struggling for form at Real and found life linking up with Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo difficult, then it all makes sense, but that’s anything but the case for the Frenchman.

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The heralded “BBC” were unstoppable last term, and bringing Falcao into the setup means breaking up such a dynamic trio.

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe was also quick to question how much extra brilliance the 28-year-old could bring to the fold at Madrid, saying that the club already have more than enough firepower in their ranks:

However, even taking someone as dangerous as Benzema out of the team to include Falcao is a recipe for success, as the man is a finishing sensation.

WhoScored.com’s statistics back that up, as the Colombian remains in La Liga’s top-three goalscorers over the last three seasons despite being away from Spain for an entire campaign:

Though Real would love to see Falcao make the switch and recapture the form he showed with city rivals Atletico, the club already have a backup plan in place—as Tony Barrett of The Times revealed:

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku is hardly in the same high-profile bracket as Falcao, but bringing him to the Bernabeu instead of the Colombian would mean that the “BBC” would likely remain intact.

It wouldn’t be the worst destination in the world for the young Belgian, either, who saw his chances of breaking into the Blues’ first team diminish after they resigned Didier Drogba on Friday, per BBC Sport.

Though Lukaku would be limited to occasional performances from the bench for Real, there’s no greater place in the European game to aid a young star’s progression, and he’ll be hoping that the Falcao pursuit proves fruitless for his own personal gain.

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However, much like a dog with a very expensive bone, when Real Madrid decide that they want a player, they relentlessly pursue until a Galactico is born.

While Falcao would be a big fish in an already oversized pond in the Spanish capital, he’d undoubtedly be the man to lead the club towards football immortality.

Improving Real’s front line looks a near-impossible task, but if they bring Falcao into the fold, they’ll have achieved the unachievable once again.