Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez has admitted that he would be keen to play for Real Madrid in the future, having become one of the hottest emerging forwards in Europe.
The Mexico international arrived at Feyenoord from Cruz Azul in 2022 and hit 15 Eredivisie goals last season as the Rotterdam club claimed only their second Dutch title this century.
Remarkably, Gimenez already has ten league goals to his name in only seven appearances so far in 2023/24. That puts the 22-year-old on course to become the first player to score 30 or more Eredivisie goals in a season since Wilfried Bony did so with Vitesse Arnhem in 2012/13.
Those kinds of numbers have brought significant media and fan attention on Gimenez.
Certainly, one major club that is sorely in need of a prolific striker is Real Madrid. Veteran loanee Joselu is the only recognised central forward in the senior squad this season following the departure of Karim Benzema during the summer. Wingers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo have been tasked with plugging the gaps, while midfielder Jude Bellingham is the current top scorer.
Madrid are widely expected to land Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer in 2024 when his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires, although it will take more than just one player to boost what is currently an area of the pitch lacking in sufficient bodies.
"I'd be delighted to play for Real Madrid. Of course. It's a super big club," Gimenez told Spanish journalist Elisa Lasso this week when pressed on his future.
There has already been significant interest in Gimenez for several months. 90min reported back in April that Leicester, then a Premier League club, Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton and Crystal Palace were all keeping a close on the player. Napoli, Lille and Eintracht Frankfurt were also interested.
Since the summer transfer window closed, bigger Premier League teams have scouted Gimenez. 90min was able to reveal towards the end of last month that Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham each had a presence at Feyenoord's De Klassieker clash with Ajax to watch him play.
Tottenham first registered interest in May, while Chelsea have added Gimenez to a list of January targets alongside Brentford’s Ivan Toney. But they weren't alone in taking a look, with Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Inter, Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli understood to have also been in attendance at that game.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Santiago Gimenez makes huge Real Madrid admission amid widespread transfer interest.
