Done Deal: Real Madrid completed the signing of former Barcelona wonderkid Iker Bravo, who joined on a loan deal.
It is no secret that Real Madrid currently needs to increase their alternatives up front. They do not have another trustworthy striker save Karim Benzema.
The Frenchman did appear to struggle for the majority of the game, despite scoring a fantastic brace against Espanyol late in the game. And that might end up being a recurrent theme throughout this season.
At the end of the day, Benzema is 34 years old and may not be the finest striker in the world. He cannot consistently play 90 minutes of football twice a week since he occasionally has to rest. No matter how talented the player, that simply cannot be sustained.
Even though Mariano Diaz is still a member of the team, he is not even close to being considered for the first squad and could leave before the summer transfer window deadline.
Real Madrid hasn’t yet added a striker to their first team, but they appear to be looking ahead as Iker Bravo has been added to the Castilla team. The Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid has joined on a season-long loan. The German team declared on their website:
Iker Bravo, an U19 international for Spain, will immediately move from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Champions League and Super Cup champion Real Madrid.
The Bundesliga team and the Madrid team have agreed to a 12-month loan.
According to rumors in Spain, this is not a straightforward loan agreement and Real Madrid has a purchase option incorporated with a transfer fee of about €6 million.
Bravo rose through the ranks at La Masia, but after the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a contract, he joined Bayer Leverkusen last summer. Just one year later, he returns to Spain, this time with Real Madrid.
