La Liga
Mariano Diaz Returns To Madrid
Olympique Lyon striker Mariano Diaz has signed for Real Madrid for a fee of $29 mil. The Spanish-born Dominican player developed in Madrid’s youth system before breaking into the first team in 2016 under then coach Zinedine Zidane.
However, the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata resulted in minimum playing time. Consequently, Diaz signed for Olympique Lyon in 2017 for a reported $9 mil. Impressing, he scored 21 goals in 45 appearances establishing himself as the club’s main striker.
Mariano may now find more playing time in the ‘new’ Madrid. The forward’s return to La Liga was originally set in motion by a deal between the French club and Sevilla for $46 mil. However, Madrid’s agreement with Lyon in 2017 means they had first pick, only needing to pay 35% less.
Returning to the Spanish capital should be helpful in fulfilling Mariano’s expressed desire to one day play for Spain’s national team. Diaz has debuted internationally for the Dominican Republic but quit in order to be eligible for the country of his birth.
The 25-year old’s addition to Los Blanco’s attack will also please everyone at the Spanish club. In fact, most fans already wanted the striker’s return after his impressive season in France. A new number nine to accompany Karim Benzema and Borja Mayoral was the only missing piece.
Manager Julen Lopetegui will now feel his squad is complete. According to MARCA, the coach even called Mariano to help the deal materialize. Real were rumored to be holding out to make a massive bid for Kylian Mbappe. Club president Florentino Perez is still free to pursue that dream due to the relatively small price tag of Diaz.
