Real Madrid willing to pay more than €50 million to sign 22-year-old striker – Reports

Real Madrid are reportedly prepared to dish out over €50 million to sign Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Los Blancos decided not to snap up a first-team striker following Karim Benzema's exit in the summer. They were said to be close to luring Kylian Mbappe away from Paris Saint-Germain but the player opted to stay with the Ligue 1 giants.

Real Madrid, who also released Mariano Diaz earlier this June, added Joselu to their ranks on a loan switch from Espanyol ahead of the start of the ongoing campaign. They have been relying on the 33-year-old up front, with Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo starting mostly in a 4-1-2-1-2 setup.

Now, according to Fichajes.net, Carlo Ancelotti's side have identified Gimenez as a striking target. They are keen to wrap up a permanent move for the 22-year-old as soon as possible due to his growing demand.

Real Madrid, who are currently second in the La Liga standings with 18 points from seven games, are ready to flex their financial muscle next summer. They could finalize a deal in excess of €50 million for Gimenez.

Gimenez, who was linked with Manchester United earlier this year, joined Feyenoord from Cruz Azul for €6 million in 2022. He helped them lift the Eredivisie title last season, scoring 23 overall goals.

So far this season, the 20-cap Mexico international has been on a fine run of form for Arne Slot's outfit. He has netted nine goals and registered two assists in seven matches. The striker recently became the first man to score a hat-trick in an Eredivisie away encounter at Ajax.

Should the left-footed attacker join Real Madrid in the future, he could form a stellar partnership with the likes of Vinicius, and Rodrygo.

Carlo Ancelotti opens up on recent criticism about Real Madrid's new setup this season

Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti received a lot of scrutiny for starting without a proper number nine in their recent 3-1 loss against Atletico Madrid. He benched Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni to play members of the old guard in Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

During a post-match press conference, Ancelotti was asked about his tweaked 4-1-2-1-2 system at Atletico Madrid. He replied (h/t AS):

"Every system has its difficulties: the diamond isn't perfect but 4-3-3 isn't either. Every setup has weaknesses. The diamond allows you to press higher, to be more energetic but it can allow you to end up out of shape for crosses, as the midfielders don't always get back. We are working on it. The problem is obvious, and it can be fixed."

Real Madrid are next scheduled to be in action at shock La Liga leaders Girona on Saturday (September 30). They will visit Napoli for their UEFA Champions League Group C match later on Tuesday (October 3).