Real Madrid ready to outbid United for prolific attacker

Real Madrid may have found their replacement for Benzema, but the club could be in a bid war with Manchester United

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has subdued the grief his team was receiving just a few weeks ago, getting them back to their old scoring ways. The usual suspects of Ronaldo and Kroos have carried the team through the rough patch, but the club could still do with securing a solid number nine to stick up front.

They may have found just that player in Mauro Icardi. The Inter Milan striker has been on the watch list of all the top clubs for a few seasons now, and his form has only continued to improve. The natural poacher’s mindset is something that Icardi has and Madrid wants.

There could be a roadblock in the journey to sign Icardi, and it comes in the form of Premier League giants Manchester United.

Madrid and United have both been in the market for a game-changing attacker, with United recently signing Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in the January transfer window. Though United also bought Lukaku from Everton during the summer, they are seemingly unable to find the right attacking combination to unlock their loaded attack force.

The Red Devils have been linked with Icardi in the past, and the summer transfer window seems as good a time as any to make the deal a possibility. This means that Madrid could be faced to spend much more than they originally thought, as the checkbook at United seems to be bottomless. If the transfers of Neymar Van Dijk are anything to go off of, then Icardi’s price could easily push £85 million.

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The price, however, is not a big deal for both clubs for two reasons. The most obvious is that Madrid and United are overflowing with resources and will have no problem coming up with the whatever figure Inter demands. The second reason is Icardi’s performances over the past few seasons.

Since joining Inter in 2013, Icardi has scored 89 Serie A goals in just 147 matches, adding six in European competition. His ability to consistently score goals has made him a wanted man, and Madrid need to make a move quickly if they want to land the star striker. A summer move away from Inter is very likely for Icardi, but with many clubs in for the Argentine, his destination is still unknown.