Real Madrid are in need of a world-class centre-forward right now after Karim Benzema left at the end of last season in order to join Al-Ittihad. The initial expectations were that the Frenchman would stay at the club for another season before leaving in the summer of 2024. Now, Los Blancos find their squad with a big void up top.
The club have brought in Joselu on a season-long loan deal from Espanyol. But it just does not feel like that would be enough to fill Benzema’s void. They also have Alvaro, who has shown promise but is inexperienced and unproven, having just turned 19 years of age recently.
Real Madrid have been linked with plenty of centre-forwards lately. But most of those rumours have faded away. The only player that they are being heavily linked with at this point of time is Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe could be on his way out of PSG this summer, as there is only a year left on his contract. In fact, the Ligue 1 champions seem eager to part ways with him, as an extension seems unlikely. But Real Madrid are not the only club keeping an eye on the French World Cup winner.
Arsenal could offer Gabriel Martinelli as part of deal for Real Madrid target
As reported by Football Transfers, Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Mbappe. The Premier League giants may use Martinelli as a makeweight to sign the Frenchman in 2024.
Martinelli is coming off of an impressive season. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he scored 15 goals and provided 5 assists in 36 Premier League games in the 2022/23 campaign.
At the end of the day, it is Mbappe, who holds the majority of the cards in this situation. The fact that PSG have left him out of their pre-season tour has made things interesting. There are also suggestions that they do not want him to train with the first-team anymore.