Why Romelu Lukaku would be a fantastic fit at Real Madrid
According to Le10 Sport (h/t The Express), Real Madrid are interested in signing Intern Milan star Romelu Lukaku for the future.
The report suggests that Los Blancos have identified the Belgian as a replacement for Karim Benzema and want him to succeed the Frenchman in the future. He is one of their top transfer targets among a list of potential strikers.
Profile
Born in Belgium, Lukaku rose through the ranks of RSC Anderlecht’s youth system before joining Chelsea in 2011. However, he spent most of his Chelsea career on loan spells before making a permanent switch to Everton in the summer of 2014.
He scored a whopping 87 goals in 166 appearances for the Merseysiders and earned a big-money move to Manchester United in the summer of 2017. Though he managed to rack up 41 goals for the Red Devils in two seasons, he wasn’t able to help them claim a title and eventually fell out of favour under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Serie A giants Inter Milan snapped him up last summer and the Belgian has gone on to make a difference for the club. He has racked up 34 goals in 51 games across all competitions this season, helping his side finish just one point behind league champions Juventus while also taking Antonio Conte’s side to the finals of the Europa League.
Lukaku – A future replacement for Benzema in Real Madrid’s attack
Zinedine Zidane managed to get Madrid back on track after his return for the second stint as a manager. He led them to La Liga glory and also helped Los Blancos win the Spanish Super Cup. However, they are in need of reinforcements to the squad since most of the key players are above 30.
At the moment, Madrid have four centre-forwards. Benzema has been their leader up front and since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, the Frenchman has been the key player in scoring goals. Apart from him, no one has managed to do well so far.
Mariano Diaz and Luka Jovic haven’t been able to lift their standards and Borja Mayoral has also been on the move on loan. However, Benzema is 33 and wouldn’t be available after a few years and Madrid could suffer without an established striker in their ranks. Thus, they should consider bringing in an experienced centre-forward as a replacement for the ageing Frenchman.
In that regard, Lukaku would be a smart signing for the club. Though he struggled with the pressures at United, the Belgian has risen to the occasion and has led Inter Milan brilliantly. He has also made over 470 career appearances and his experience could come in handy for the la Liga giants.
His 228 career goals are proof that he is capable of banging in goals regularly and could be the perfect striker to take over from Benzema, once the Frenchman steps down.
Read more
- Why Real Madrid should recall Martin Odegaard from his loan spell
- Why Real Madrid should make an approach to sign Paulo Dybala
Verdict
With Benzema already 33 and the rest of the youngsters below par, the La Liga giants are in dire need of future leaders in their attack. And Lukaku has all the attributes to lead them. He could provide them with the goals and his experience makes him a suitable candidate to replace Benzema.
