Real Madrid Re-Sign Mariano Diaz from Lyon

Mariano Diaz has returned to Real Madrid after a single season with Lyon, with Los Blancos using an option to re-sign the 25-year-old. 

The European champions confirmed the news via their official website. According to AS, Los Blancos will end up paying roughly €23 million, after selling him for €8 million last year.

The Dominican moved to France last summer and immediately found his shooting boots in Ligue 1, bagging 18 goals for his new club.

Ligue 1's official YouTube channel shared this compilation of the goals:

His great scoring form led to speculation this summer, with La Liga side Sevilla approaching Lyon with a late bid, per Marca's S. Siguero and A. Fernandez. According to the report, Real could have made €12 million in the deal, but Los Blancos opted to bring back the player instead.

As explained by Get French Football News, Los Blancos had the right to match Sevilla's offer, meaning the Andalusians' bid opened the door for a return:

Real didn't have many experienced strikers in the squad, with Borja Mayoral set to back up Karim Benzema. By bringing back Mariano, Los Blancos have invested in someone who already knows the club and city, so there shouldn't be much of a transition.

It's a smart piece of business for the European champions, as well as Lyon, who turned a quick profit on the striker. As shared by Goal's Robin Bairner, Le Progres reported the club had already identified a replacement shortly after the first links between Mariano and Real emerged:

Lyon got plenty of contributions from the likes of Nabil Fekir and Memphis Depay last season, so they should have few difficulties integrating a new striker. His eventual best replacement may already be in the squad, as big things are expected of star prospect Amine Gouiri.