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What's the rumour?
Cristiano Ronaldo's departure earlier this summer has left a gaping hole in Real Madrid's attack and they have been on the lookout for a possible replacement ever since. With several top forwards being linked with the club, it now turns out that the club has agreed terms with Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas, according to Express via El Chiringuito de Jugones.
In case you didn't know...
With Cristiano Ronaldo gone, Real Madrid are left with Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale to take over in the goalscoring department. But given Bale's injury streaks and Asensio's age, sourcing goals at the rate in which Ronaldo was bagging them is going to be one heck of a task.
The heart of the matter
Real Madrid have, according to the report, agreed individual terms with Iago Aspas. However, they're yet to finalize the deal with Celta Vigo.
Iago Aspas had earlier put his skillset to test at an elite club when he secured a switch to Liverpool. But he returned to Celta Vigo after enduring a difficult season at Merseyside. However, Aspas sprang back to life and since his return, he has scored 67 goals in 126 appearances.
With Aspas lined up, Lopetegui's primary choice for an attacker is still Rodrigo of Valencia. Rodrigo, who featured in Spain's 23 men squad that went to the World Cup, has a release clause of £107.5 million and Los Che Els Taronges want Los Blancos to meet that if they are to let him go.
Director general of Valencia, Alemany said,
“I'm not in contact with them."
"If they offer €120million (£107.5m), there's nothing we can do, but Rodrigo seems to be very happy and motivated here.
"Rodrigo is very important for us and we want him to stay."
Football pundit and former Manchester United star Owen Hargreaves weighed in on Real Madrid's need for strikers at the moment.
He said,
“They need two attackers. Benzema scored a great goal and Bale looked terrific in little spells.
“But what happens if one of them gets injured?
“Asensio is a terrific player, but he’s still very young and for him to carry the load that Cristiano [Ronaldo] did is unfair.
“Mayoral is not proven - they need two stars, two difference makers.
“I would be surprised if they didn’t try to get at least one player - a Hazard type.”
Rumour rating/probability: 5/10
It is pretty unclear as to which way this will go. It's too early to call right now.
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What's next?
This will be a huge move for Iago Aspas and if his form in the recent seasons is anything to go by, he will provide a lot of goals up front for Los Blancos given the upgrade in the quality of the service he will be afforded at the Bernabeu.
