The Athletic reports that Real Madrid’s management has decided to sell Gonzalo Garcia next summer after he fell completely out of favor with the club.
Garcia had a more than ideal start under coach Xabi Alonso, scoring five goals in the 2015 Club World Cup and rejecting several lucrative offers in the summer after the club promised him he would be Kylian Mbappe’s backup striker.
Under Alonso, Garcia received playing time, albeit inconsistently, which also led him to reject offers in the winter transfer window, most notably from Stuttgart. However, things changed drastically with the arrival of Alvaro Arbeloa in mid-January, as the Spanish coach significantly sidelined him and opted for other attacking options.
According to the report, Real Madrid currently prefers to bring back Andrej from his loan spell at Lyon next summer to serve as a backup striker for the upcoming season. They would then sell Garcia, generating a profit from the sale and retaining a buy-back clause similar to the one in Nico Paz’s contract with Como.
Florentino Perez’s administration has not yet set a price for the Spanish striker, but it is likely they will initially set a €20 million asking price to begin negotiations with any club interested in signing the 22-year-old.
Garcia has made 33 appearances this season, mostly as a substitute, across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing two assists.
