Real Madrid ‘to make move for Mario Mandzukic’

Real Madrid will make a move for Bayern Munich forward Mario Mandzukic in the summer transfer window, it has been claimed.

Well known football insider François Gallardo told Spanish television show Punto Pelota that the nine-time European Cup winners wanted to bolster their forward line despite having the likes of Karim Benzema, Alvaro Morata and Jese Rodriguez already on the books. Gallardo rightly claimed Gareth Bale would move to the Spanish capital some nine months before the deal actually happened.

The move for Mandzukic may not come as a surprise, as the German champions may look to sell players to make way for the arrival of Robert Lewandowski, who announced this week that he will leave Borussia Dortmund for the Allianz Arena side. Gallardo said a fee of between 30 to 40 million euros would be enough to persuade the Bavarians to sell. Bayern are currently managed by former Barcelona boss, Pep Guardiola.

He said: “My understanding is that while Florentino said that Real Madrid were not going to sign, the coaching staff believe the club still need another striker. Accordingly, Real Madrid’s shopping list for next season, regardless of what happens in December, includes the name of a Bayern player. It’s Mandzukic.”