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Real Madrid have reportedly decided that Mariano Diaz will leave the club in the summer. The Dominican forward has become a forgotten man at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Diaz, 29, has featured just eight times across competitions but hasn't started in any of those games. According to Marca, Los Blancos have made a decision over his future, and he will leave in the summer, as he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
The striker rejoined Real Madrid from Lyon in 2018 after initially leaving the club for the French side the year before. He impressed during his time with Les Gones, scoring 21 goals in 48 games. Hence, Les Merengues decided to pay €21.5 million to lure him back to the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, Diaz has failed to replicate that form at Real Madrid. He has scored 12 goals in 81 games and hasn't been a regular in Carlo Ancelotti's first team. The question now is over which side will look to take advantage of Diaz becoming a free agent.
Reports claim that Serie A trio Lazio, Atalanta, and Torino are all interested in the Dominican.
Real Madrid's Eder Militao worried about Liverpool duo sparking remarkable turnaround in Champions League
Real Madrid are in pole position to progress to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. They secured a brilliant 5-2 win over Liverpool in the first leg of their last 16 clash at Anfield.
The Merseysiders enjoyed the best result of their season after that alarming defeat. They thrashed arch-rivals Manchester United 7-0 last Sunday (March 5). Mohamed Salah scored a brace and Firmino scored late as Jurgen Klopp's side romped to victory.
Militao dubbed their 5-2 win over the Reds as one of the best results in his sporting life. He said (via Liverpool Echo):
"The night in Liverpool was one of the most historic in my sporting life - to win 5-2 there and score is a unique moment for any footballer."
However, the defender has admitted that he's worried about Salah and Firmino potentially helping Liverpool turn things around at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday (March 15):
"But Liverpool have a super squad and now we do not want to be surprised at home. Mo Salah has come into a good moment in attack.
He continued:
"He is always dangerous and against us; he is hyper-motivated, and also Roberto Firmino is scoring goals again. So until the end of this match, nothing has been decided."
Liverpool are renowned as comeback kings in the UEFA Champions League. You needn't look further than their heroics in the 2018-19 semifinals against Barcelona. They were 3-0 down to the Blaugrana from the first-leg. However, Klopp's men turned things around with a dramatic 4-0 win at Anfield.
