Real Madrid eye surprise Mbappe replacement

Cameron Smith

• 19 Nov 2024 14:45 CST
• 4 min read

Real Madrid are preparing a €5 million offer to sign Olympique Lyonnais forward Alexandre Lacazette in January, according to sensational reports in Spain.

Lacazette has enjoyed a successful stint back at Lyon since rejoining the club in 2022, with the 33-year-old tallying 58 goals in just 88 games following his return from Arsenal.

However, Real Madrid are set to submit a €5m bid during the January transfer window, amid Lyon’s current financial woes, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.

READ MORE: NBA superstar backs Mbappe for Real Madrid success

Lyon’s debt stands at over €500m, and they have been handed provisional relegation and transfer ban due to their delicate financial situation.

A January fire-sale is therefore on the cards, with the Ligue 1 giants needing to raise funds in order to avoid relegation to Ligue 2 for the first time since 1989.

Rayan Cherki and Malick Fofana have both been linked with moves away from Lyon following news of the club’s potential ban, while Real Madrid are now reportedly interested in finalising a deal for Lacazette.

READ MORE: Mbappe and three Real Madrid teammates ‘UNDER SUSPICION’

The former Arsenal forward is due to become a free agent next summer, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side are eager to bring him in during the January window amid Kylian Mbappe’s recent woes.

The France superstar has struggled in a centre forward role at the Santiago Bernabeu, and Real Madrid are interested in signing Lacazette to ease their current goalscoring woes.

Mbappe has only scored once in his last seven Los Blancos appearances and he has been outshone by Brazil international Vinicius Junior since his free transfer switch from Paris Saint-Germain in July.

Karim Benzema on Kylian Mbappe

Benzema, who spent 14 years at Real Madrid, recently spoke to El Chiringuito about Mbappe’s poor form at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“The problem, in my opinion, is that [Mbappe] is not a central striker, even with the national team, every time he plays as a number nine he doesn't feel right, because that's not his position,” Benzema said.

“On the left, he's got a guy who's at the same level as him, Vinicius, so there is a problem, you can't play Vinicius as a number nine or on the right, because when he plays on the left he makes the difference in every game.

“Mbappe isn't a real number nine. People ask a lot of him and he's under a lot of pressure, this isn't Paris St-Germain,” Benzema added.

“If you go two or three games without a goal, you're going to have a lot of problems.”

When asked what Mbappe must do to fix his current dip in form, the Real Madrid legend admitted: “Don't give up, because I don't think he's going to push Vinicius to move. He's the best player in the world at the moment.

“Mbappe needs to get it into his head that today he's a number nine, and forget about the left flank for a while.”