Xabi Alonso 'cancels' Budimir's signing for another striker, the '9' they need

Throughout the entire season, Kylian Mbappé more than fulfilled the reasons why he was signed. By winning the Pichichi and the Golden Boot, Mbappé was the most important striker for Real Madrid, surpassing his other teammates. However, this didn't prevent Real Madrid from searching for a center forward for next season.

Looking for a profile similar to Joselu's, Real Madrid showed interest in Ante Budimir. The Croatian striker from Osasuna has had an excellent season, being the club's star player. However, his transfer to Real Madrid has been ruled out after Xabi Alonso's decision to fully trust academy product Gonzalo García.

Although Gonzalo's and Budimir's profiles are different, Xabi has chosen the academy player after his excellent season. By breaking several scoring records with Castilla, Xabi believes Gonzalo is the striker Real Madrid truly needs.

Xabi's trust in the academy

After joining Real Madrid's academy in 2014, Gonzalo García progressed remarkably until reaching Castilla in 2023. By adapting quickly to the team, Gonzalo became the star striker of the squad and one of its most important players. The 26 goals and 5 assists he recorded this season are clear proof of his quality.

At 21 years old, Gonzalo has even become important for the first team, scoring and assisting in key moments. Because of this, Xabi Alonso has preferred to trust Gonzalo rather than carry out the signing of Budimir, who is a 33-year-old striker.

Despite the 24 goals and 4 assists Budimir recorded this season, this hasn't been enough to convince Xabi. The trust in Gonzalo, besides showing Xabi's support for the academy, would help Madrid avoid spending.

The new striker for Real Madrid

With a perfect understanding of Real Madrid's structure, Gonzalo García won't have any problems adapting to the first team.  Although Xabi still has some issues to determine, the situation with Real Madrid's attack has already been solved.