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Real Madrid Reportedly Plan to Sign Striker in January amid Edinson Cavani Link
November 18, 2018
Real Madrid have reportedly decided to make a move for a striker in the January transfer window, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Radamel Falcao, Edinson Cavani and Mauro Icardi are among their targets.
According to Sport, Los Blancos are looking to bring in a proven goalscorer as Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale are not reliable enough. In addition to the names listed above, they are also tracking the likes of Celta Vigo's Maxi Gomez and Espanyol's Borja Iglesias.
Real's form so far this season has been mixed.
They have won their last four in all competitions, but a record of just one victory in their preceding seven games led to the sacking of Julen Lopetegui.
That dismal run also included a record number of minutes spent without scoring a goal:
Under new manager Santiago Solari, Real have been much improved, and Benzema and Bale have rediscovered their scoring touch, but there is still a gaping hole in Real's attack where Cristiano Ronaldo used to be.
Before moving to Juventus in the summer, the Portuguese averaged 50 goals a season in his nine campaigns at the Santiago Bernabeu. It is no surprise then that goalscoring has been more difficult for Real this term given Ronaldo was not replaced.
At 32 and 37, respectively, Falcao and Ibrahimovic would arguably be needlessly short-term purchases for Real to make, while Cavani is also in his 30s but does score at a remarkable rate for Paris Saint-Germain:
Icardi, on the other hand, is 25 and reaching the peak years of his career.
He has spent the last five seasons as Inter Milan's attacking talisman and is one of the most reliable goalscorers in Europe:
Per Sport, he would cost Real around €125 million (£111 million). That is an enormous fee but in the current market is unsurprising given his performances.
If Real really do want to invest in a player who could conceivably fill the gap left by Ronaldo, Icardi is arguably the best candidate.
Gomez and Iglesias, meanwhile, would both be risky purchases but likely much cheaper.
They have both been excellent this season, netting 13 La Liga goals between them, but there is no guarantee they could contribute consistently at Real.