Real Madrid Transfers: 3 forwards to sign instead of Erling Haaland

Nice ST Amine Gouiri

If I were drawing up a list of long-term Karim Benzema replacements up top, then I would have Amine Gouiri at the top of the list. The Frenchman was surprisingly on Real Madrid’s radar last year, and while nobody seriously thought Los Blancos would sign him, it is telling that he has exploded this season after Zinedine Zidane was apparently scouting him out. (Insert comment about Zizou never missing with talent evaluations.)

Gouiri has 10 goals and 7 assists this season in Ligue 1 for a Nice side that looks like the best team in France after PSG. Christophe Galtier sure is a great coach. And he has Gouiri to thank for a lot of their success, as there are not many strikers who are more well-rounded than the 22-year-old. (Benzema is obviously one of them.)

Already a Real Madrid-caliber player as a backup, Gouiri has the upside to then become a starter for Los Blancos. Real have interest in Aurelien Tchouameni from Ligue 1’s Monaco as a Casemiro replacement, and it would be wise to look into this French forward as another potential future starter. Gouiri really is that good when you look at his footballing IQ, finishing, chance-creation, and, of course, dribbling. It is amazing how underrated certain players are, especially all-around strikers who do not play for traditional big clubs.

So don’t sleep on Gouiri. With 1.8 dribbles completed per game and 1.3 key passes per game, he is an all-action No. 9 who could contribute to Real Madrid from Day 1. Raul de Tomas is a nice proposition, but he will be expensive and is not as young or multi-faceted. And loanee Borja Mayoral just doesn’t have the same upside as Gouiri.