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What's the rumour?
According to a report in Football Espana, Real Madrid are far from done in the transfer market and want to bring Inter Milan's star striker Mauro Icardi to the Santiago Bernabeu before the window closes at the end of the month.
The report also reveals representatives of the Spanish outfit are already in Rome to hold talks with regard to the transfer of the Argentinian to Madrid.
In case you didn't know
Following Cristiano Ronaldo's sensational move to Juventus, Real Madrid are understood to be on the lookout for a potential replacement in the ongoing summer transfer window.
While they have been heavily linked with a few big money galacticos like PSG's Neymar, Tottenham's Harry Kane and Chelsea's Eden Hazard, nothing appears to have worked out.
With all the aforementioned players seemingly settled in their respective clubs, the Spanish outfit have now set their sights on Icardi.
The heart of the matter
Real Madrid allowed their talisman Ronaldo to move to Juventus this summer after a long and hugely successful stint at the Bernabeu. As a result, they now lack firepower upfront and hence the move for Icardi absolutely makes sense.
The 25-year-old has plundered 100 goals in 159 league appearances for the Italian club since joining from Sampdoria in 2014/15.
While he might not score an average 50 goals per season like Ronaldo did, yet could prove to be just the player Real needs at this juncture.
Rumour rating: 5/10
Icardi's buy out clause currently stands at a whopping €100 million but it shouldn't be an issue considering the huge money Real made out of Ronaldo's transfer. However, Inter might be unwilling to sell the prolific goalscorer to their Champions League rival and it could well come down to the player's interests. This has all the makings of a thriller and could go either way.
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What's next?
Should the deal materialize, Icardi would most likely make Real's frontline alongside Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale and with a better supply line from midfield, he could go on to dominate the score-sheet more often than not.
