Reports: Real Madrid ready swap deal to sign £98 million superstar

What's the rumour?

Real Madrid were surprisingly quiet in the summer transfer window, especially after the loss of talisman and superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus. However, according to latest reports in Spanish daily Don Balon (via CaughtOffside), Los Blancos are ready to strengthen in the January transfer window by signing Inter Milan and Argentina striker Mauro Icardi.

According to reports in AS, Manchester United and Jose Mourinho are also heavily interested in signing the 25-year-old striker, however, the willingness of Real Madrid to include Karim Benzema as part of a swap deal seem to have tilted the scales in the favour of the European champions.

In case you didn't know...

One of the most consistent strikers in world football at the moment, Icardi's future has been subject to intense speculation in recent transfer windows. Having scored 29 goals in 34 games last season for Inter, the Argentine forward was controversially left out of the Argentine national squad for Russia 2018.

On the other hand, Karim Benzema has started the 2018/19 season in fine form for Real Madrid. Having scored 4 goals in 4 appearances for Real Madrid in La Liga so far, the Frenchman seems to have rediscovered his scoring boots in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. It will be interesting to see if Real Madrid will be ready to let go of the Frenchman in the January transfer window.

The heart of the matter

While Real Madrid were linked with the likes of Neymar and Mbappe in the summer transfer window, they were not able to add any high profile star to replace the outgoing Ronaldo. The potential signing of Icardi would definitely prove to be a boost for Madrid as the 25-year-old is a proven goalscorer.

Also, although Benzema has been in fine form, the fact is that he is 30-years-old now and a swap deal for Icardi, who is at the peak of his career, would make sense for the All Whites. While Manchester United are also on the lookout to strengthen their attack, it seems that Real Madrid are ahead of the Red Devils in the race to sign Icardi at the moment.

Rumour probability: 5/10

While Real Madrid might genuinely be interested in signing Icardi, it does not seem very likely that they will be ready to sell Karim Benzema. The Frenchman is an integral and senior member of the squad and he could prove to play a key role in the business end of the season.

Video:

What a finisher Icardi is!

What's next?

Mauro Icardi is definitely world class and both Real Madrid and Manchester United will benefit if they manage to sign the Argentine forward. Young, talented and confident, Icardi could prove to be the galactico signing which will kickstart a new era at the Santiago Bernabeu