Real Madrid could reportedly look to move on both Mariano and Brahim Diaz in the January transfer window as the duo have struggled for minutes this season.
Los Blancos have significant quality and depth in the squad for Zinedine Zidane to choose from, with countless established and experienced options coupled with young talents forming part of the long-term plan including the likes of Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema, Vinicius and Rodrygo.
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However, two players who have struggled to get a look in so far this season are Mariano and Brahim Diaz, with the former yet to make a single appearance this year while the latter has been limited to just 10 minutes of playing time.
That is set to continue this weekend as they weren’t selected for the squad to face Real Betis, and so it is unsurprisingly leading to question marks being raised over their respective futures at the Bernabeu.
According to Marca, both could be moved on in January with Brahim Diaz potentially set for a loan move elsewhere to gain experience and playing time to help his development, while Mariano could face a permanent switch as his return to Real Madrid hasn’t worked out as he would have hoped.
That strategy would perhaps make sense as Diaz is still only 20 years of age and so a loan spell would arguably benefit him to come back stronger next season to compete for a starting place.
As for Mariano though, it’s difficult to see his situation changing given Zidane has found no room for him at all so far this season and so he would perhaps be eager to consider his options and seek an exit to find a more prominent role elsewhere.
It could be said too that should Real Madrid secure exits for the pair, that could perhaps create space in the squad and offer a financial boost to bring in reinforcements more suited to Zidane’s ideas.
