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Real Madrid and Benfica have reportedly reached an agreement for the transfer of Mariano Diaz on loan.
If reports from AS (via Managing Madrid) are to be believed, Diaz is set to leave Real Madrid after just one season at the Santiago Bernabeu as his probable contract includes an option to buy.
According to the same source, while the two clubs have agreed on the details of the deal, the player has not yet given the green light for his move.
Mariano Diaz signed for Real Madrid at the start of the 2018/19 season, but a lack of game time at the club has seen him being reduced to a fringe role under Zinedine Zidane.
Mariano Diaz behind Karim Benzema and Luka Jovic in the Real Madrid pecking order
Diaz only managed 84 minutes across all competitions last season for Real Madrid, netting just once in the same period.
All in all, the striker has only featured in 26 matches for Real Madrid since rejoining from OL Lyon, where he has smashed an impressive 21 goals in 45 outings.
Injuries did not help the Dominican striker's cause either, as he ended up below Karim Benzema and Luka Jovic in the pecking order.
Ahead of the recently concluded season, Zidane had boldly confirmed that Mariano was not part of his plans for the foreseeable future. The Real Madrid boss had claimed:
"I don't have a plan for Mariano. He is training with us and I have to name a team. We'll see what happens in the third [next] match."
Diaz did not want to leave Real Madrid then and apparently chooses to fight for his place in the squad even now.
The likes of Sevilla and Benfica have previously been linked with the striker, but it is believed that the latter have agreed on a deal with Real Madrid for a loan with an option to buy permanently.
Benfica were keeping tabs on Paris Saint-Germain legend Edinson Cavani but later turned their attention to Diaz after a failed attempt to acquire the former's services.
Diaz has shown he can score goals if given a leap of faith. The Real Madrid outcast's possible move could prove beneficial for both parties. While Diaz would secure more minutes, Real Madrid will have one wantaway player off their wage bill.
James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale are two other stars Real Madrid are desperate to offload.
The former is mooted for a reunion with ex-Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti at Everton but Bale is set to remain at the Spanish capital until his contract expires in 2022.
