Borja Mayoral claims Zinedine Zidane wanted Real Madrid to keep him and offload Luka Jovic

AS Roma forward Borja Mayoral has claimed that Zinedine Zidane wanted him to stay at Real Madrid at the expense of Luka Jovic.

Jovic joined the Spanish giants in the summer of 2019 but his first year at the Santiago Bernabeu was crippled with injuries. He managed just 27 appearances for Real Madrid in all competitions and found the back of the net just twice.

Los Blancos were reportedly willing to listen to offers for the Serbian this summer but a move failed to see the light of the day.

Jovic seems to have settled for a role on the bench at Real Madrid this season, with initial reports claiming that Zidane preferred Mayoral to the Serbian.

Borja Mayoral rose through the ranks at La Fabrica and showed great proficiency in front of goal during his time with the youth teams. However, he failed to make the cut in the Real Madrid senior team and spent the last two seasons on loan to Levante, where he scored 14 goals from 69 appearances. This summer, he joined AS Roma on a two-year loan deal with an option for a permanent sale.

The Spaniard has now claimed that if Zidane had his way, he would have been in the Real Madrid squad and Jovic would have been on his way out.

Borja Mayoral left Real Madrid to get more first-team minutes

Luka Jovic struggled in his first season with Real Madrid

Mayoral has claimed that he was supposed to leave Real Madrid during the pre-season but Zidane wanted to keep him in the squad. According to him, this was the reason why the Spanish giants tried to move Jovic on. He said:

"When I got to the pre-season with Madrid I was supposed to leave the club quickly, but Zidane wanted me to stay. I told him that I had to leave so that I could get more minutes. I think the club listened to what Zidane had to say and that’s why they tried to let Jovic go"

The Spaniard also revealed that his move to Roma materialised quite late, adding that his primary reason to leave was to get more first-team minutes under his belt. He said:

"It all happened very late and very fast, but in the end I talked to Zidane and asked him if I could leave the club. I thought that I could have more chances to play and improve. In the end, it happened, I’m here and that’s what’s important."

Borja Mayoral deal completed with Roma means that Luka Jovic is *not* going to leave Real Madrid on next days. There was nothing advanced with any club, just offered to many clubs. ⛔️ #MUFC #transfers

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 1, 2020

Real Madrid fans will be keeping a close eye on Mayoral this season, and his performances will decide whether Los Blancos were right to let him go.