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FIRST TEAM

Real Madrid chooses a '9' like Joselu, it could be LaLiga's bomb signing.

The white sports management doesn't rule out any option to add more players in attack

The change of coach in Real Madrid's first team has prompted a drastic modification in the roadmap managed in Valdebebas's offices for this summer. Especially in the area of signings, with almost all the lines in Santiago's locker room demanding an urgent acquisition.

While it is true that defense is currently the main priority of Real Madrid's sports management, Xabi Alonso has also requested the arrival of a midfielder and a forward. The profile of that player intended to strengthen the midfield would be clearly aimed at replacing Toni Kroos, restoring part of the football creativity lost with the retirement of the former German footballer. For the forward line, they are looking for, once again, a very specific profile.

A player in a red uniform raises his hands in a celebratory gesture in a stadium.
Ante Budimir celebrating a goal scored with Osasuna | Real Madrid Confidencial

Especially considering the morphology of the first team's forward roster. The strikers of the white team lack a figure like Joselu, a traditional center-forward profile. The area killer that Real Madrid had with its homegrown player is not present among Carlo Ancelotti's options, issuing a very costly bill with the possible competitive ones this season.

That's why the executives led by Florentino Pérez, according to the information revealed by Eduardo Inda, "want a player of that style". Real Madrid is looking for a veteran forward "who didn't have competitive urges with his teammates, who was used to and resigned to being on the bench and coming out when needed".

Plausible signing

The "Joselu model", Eduardo Inda warns on 'El Chiringuito de Jugones', is a very handy option in the sports planning of the white team. That's why Juni Calafat's scouts would have immediately explored the market to find the ideal footballer: Ante Budimir, "he's Osasuna's '9', he's a great player".

According to the director of 'OKDiario', the Croatian striker from Osasuna would be one of the candidates to assume the role that Joselu had during the 23/24 season: a specific forward to 'unlock' matches. It remains to be seen the reaction of Budimir himself and Osasuna: the Croatian striker and the Pamplona entity are linked until the summer of 2027, a union that would weaken over time.

A player in a red uniform in action during a match.
Ante Budimir during a match with Osasuna this season | Real Madrid Confidencial

Not only because of the supposed interest from Real Madrid, relatively recent in the discussions about Ante Budimir's future. The Navarrese bosses are clear that the departure of one of the key players in Vicente Moreno's scheme will be through his release clause, a figure they will not negotiate. The 20 million euros set in Ante Budimir's contract represent an exit barrier that doesn't convince Real Madrid either.

For the sports management, it would be a too high a price to pay for a footballer who would immediately assume the role of a substitute. That's why they would be considering the option of including a player like Gonzalo García, Víctor Muñoz, or Jesús Fortea, reducing the definitive transfer of the Balkan striker.

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