Arsenal and Tottenham are set to face competition from Spanish giants Real Madrid for the signing of Mexico forward Santiago Gimenez from Feyenoord.
As a result of Gimenez’s incredible start to the season, which has seen the 22-year-old score 10 goals — including a hat-trick against Ajax — and record two assists in only eight games for the Dutch champions, a number of European powerhouses are reportedly keeping eyes on him.
Gimenez has had a strong start to the new season after he helped Feyenoord win the Eredivise title for the first time since 2017 last season with 15 goals in 32 games.
Feyenoord are more prepared to lose Gimenez as early as next summer despite the fact that he recently signed a contract extension that would keep him with the club through 2027.
Arsenal, Tottenham, and Chelsea have all been suggested as potential Premier League homes, and Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund is reportedly interested as well.
Gimenez is currently reportedly in the running to join Real Madrid, who have dubbed him “their leading center-forward target” for the next summer.
Gimenez joined Feyenoord from Cruz Azul in the summer of 2022, and Sports Mole, who cites information from Spain, claims that Real Madrid has been informed that a fee of around £43 million is likely to be sufficient to seal his acquisition.
Karim Benzema left Real Madrid for the Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad last summer, and the Spanish club has been widely linked with a transfer for Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe in recent years.
Real Madrid could use Santiago Gimenez alongside Kylian Mbappe
When Mbappe and PSG got into a contentious contract dispute in the summer, a deal finally seemed to be in the works. The 24-year-old was briefly placed on the transfer list before the issue was resolved.
Despite recent reports suggesting that Mbappe is in talks to extend his PSG contract through the end of this season, rumors that the 2018 World Cup champion has already decided to join Real Madrid in 2024 have persisted for some time.
Gimenez is hence not seen as Mbappe’s replacement but rather as a “low-cost center-forward” who might team up with him.
Real Madrid has used Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr, Joselu, and Brahim Diaz as their primary attackers thus far this La Liga season. Carlo Ancelotti’s team now leads Barcelona by one point with eight games remaining in the regular season.
Gimenez’s move to Bernabeu would compel Arsenal, Tottenham, and Chelsea to look for alternatives, since all three teams have recently been linked with a move for Brentford attacker Ivan Toney.
Toney won’t be able to play again until mid-January as he is presently serving an eight-month suspension for violations related to betting.
