Real Madrid have been linked with a lot of different strikers in this transfer window and while there is little substance in most of the names mentioned, Los Blancos seem to be wanting to add a striker to their squad since the season will be long and very tough. Madrid, however, are in no rush and will wait to make the right move, even being prepared to put off this deal until the January window.
With Karim Benzema in the form of his life, Real Madrid are aware they need a long-term solution, but they can afford to take their time as they want to make sure they get the right player. They want to bring in Benzema's heir, someone with a big future at the club, not someone who will be shipped out again shortly after joining. Finding a backup to the French star has not been easy and several strikers have been signed in recent years without much success.
Mariano Diaz, Luka Jovic and Borja Mayoral made little more than a handful of LaLiga Santander starts between them. Jovic has gone, Mariano is on his way and Mayoral has signed for Getafe. Arguably, Madrid haven't needed these players and haven't been hurt by their failure to make an impact on the first team.
With Benzema playing like he has been, what more do you need? Well, for one thing, the club are becoming increasingly aware that they will need to start to ration the 34-year-old's minutes from now on in order to maximise his use to the team in the coming years.
Secondly, of course, Los Merengues need to look to the future as Benzema won't be around forever. Add to that the fact that in case of injury, there's no real alternative, and another striker is being talked about as a necessity for Madrid. However the club are calm and working away on finding the right player for their project, ignoring the speculation linking them baselessly with all sorts of players.
Real Madrid will have the future in mind when they eventually make their move for a new striker, but it will also have to be a player who can hit the ground running. In the meantime, they have also been looking at longer-term projects. Earlier this year, for example, they signed 17-year-old striker Enrique Herrero from Eintracht Frankfurt. Former Villarreal youth player Herrero is considered one of the top Spanish youth prospects and Los Blancos had to fend off interest from the likes of Barcelona and Chelsea to secure his signature.
Besides them, the club have signed another young striker. According to Valencia-based journalist Salva Gomis, Real Madrid have signed 19-year-old striker Andres Garcia from Valencia’s youth team. That report was also confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, who tweeted: “Real Madrid are set to sign young, talented striker Andrés García on a free transfer from Valencia for their Academy. The deal has been signed and completed. *First called by Salva Gomis - it’s done. Contract will be valid until June 2025”.
The club are also interested in making a move for Iker Bravo, another 17-year-old Spanish forward playing in Germany. After over a decade at La Masia, Bravo joined Bayer Leverkusen in 2021 but could soon be on his way back to Spain. Herrero and Bravo, if he comes, are two players with big futures, but who would surely need to be loaned out as, despite their age, youth and reserve football wouldn't be enough for their development. Bravo, for example, has already played in the Bundesliga.
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