According to a report from Sportskeeda, Real Madrid has identified Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen as a potential backup option if they fail to secure the signing of Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Mbappe has once again emerged as a transfer target for Real Madrid, as he has expressed his desire not to extend his contract with PSG beyond 2024. With the possibility of Mbappe leaving on a free transfer next year, Real Madrid is keen to finalize a deal this summer. However, the reported price tag of £180 million for Mbappe is proving to be a major obstacle for the Spanish club.
In light of this, Real Madrid has turned their attention to Moussa Diaby as an alternative target. The 24-year-old winger has also been linked with Manchester United in recent weeks. Real Madrid was surprised to learn that Diaby has a price tag of £65 million, but they still view Mbappe as their priority and are waiting for his response to PSG’s ultimatum. Diaby, a left-footed inverted winger, has been in impressive form for Bayer Leverkusen, averaging a goal and an assist every 125 minutes over the past three seasons. In his career so far, he has scored 49 goals and provided 48 assists in 172 matches for the German club.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United is reportedly set to compete with Manchester United and Real Madrid for the signature of striker Goncalo Ramos. El Nacional reports that Newcastle is prepared to make a club-record offer of £68 million for the 22-year-old, who has been on Manchester United’s radar for some time. Ramos had a standout season for Benfica, scoring 27 goals and providing 12 assists in 47 matches. He also impressed with a hat-trick for Portugal in the last-16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Both Manchester United and Real Madrid are in the market for a first-choice striker, with the former looking for a successor to Cristiano Ronaldo and the latter aiming to replace Karim Benzema.