Real Madrid loanee says club wanted to keep him and sell Luka Jovic

Real Madrid decided to loan Borja Mayoral to AS Roma this summer, but things could have ended differently for both him and Luka Jovic.

Recently, Serie A side AS Roma presented new additions Chris Smalling and Borja Mayoral to their fans. Smalling had already played at a high level last season for the club, but Mayoral was a new acquisition from Real Madrid who adds important talent to the striker position.

Mayoral could have stayed in Madrid for the 2020-2021 season, though. Aside from making an appearance off the bench against Real Betis, Mayoral seemed to be a favorite of Zinedine Zidane’s after some strong performances in training.

But ultimately, Real Madrid decided to keep Luka Jovic and loan Mayoral instead of loaning Jovic to a club like Milan in Serie A.

At the press conference, Borja Mayoral spoke candidly about his loan to Roma and stated that at one point, Real Madrid wanted to keep him and sell Luka Jovic.

"“It’s true that they wanted to keep me and sell Jović, but I had the chance to speak to Zidane and I explained to him that I couldn’t pass up the chance to join a club like Roma.”"

Borja Mayoral spoke candidly about Real Madrid’s view of Luka Jovic

It is incredibly rare to hear a player speak that candidly about a transfer situation, and it seems like Mayoral has thrown Los Blancos and Jovic under the bus here. Why would he say that out loud?

It’s no secret that Real Madrid dream of forwards Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, who are two of the most talented young forwards in world football. Haaland would be an upgrade over Jovic, though Jovic, as he showed in 2018-2019 for Eintracht Frankfurt, is plenty talented in his own right.

There’s no way of knowing what Real truly want to do at striker and how much Mayoral knows about the situation, but it’s a very strong statement from the now-Roma striker that raises serious questions for Madridistas about Jovic’s future. It may not help Jovic’s confidence either, to feel skeptical about the manager’s and club’s backing of his talent.

Despite the rockiness, Jovic has played well for Real Madrid in 2020-2021 in two starts and even last season, scoring two league goals with a backheel assist. Hopefully, he uses all of this speculation as fuel to have a big season.