Chicharito available for €10 million?

Today, ESPN, by virtue of As, ran a story that "Real Madrid can secure the permanent signature of Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez from Manchester United for €10 million" in addition to the €2.5 million they paid to secure him on loan for the season.

The timing of this story coincides perfectly with Real Madrid's recent Champions League victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid in which Chicharito scored the winning goal to send Real Madrid through to the semifinals. However, a rumored, though unconfirmed, deadline to make a decision appears to be April 30 so if that's true the club has to make a decision quickly.

Keeping him on for good would be an interesting choice as he doesn't fit the playmaking profile of first-choice starter Karim Benzema. He's neither a promising youngster who'll lead the club for the next half decade nor is he someone who fits the glitz and glamour profile of this club. However, his work ethic cannot be questioned and he offers something different from Benzema as he's one of the most accomplished poachers in top flight football.

This move would also make sense, as opposed to signing an expensive young striker who'll need minutes to develop, since Hernandez is familiar with being a bench player and not someone who'll raise much of a fuss if he's not starting every match. He's stated that more minutes would be welcome, but he's also said that one of his goals is to "continue working with Madrid" in order to help the team out. Obviously, his willingness to stay or not will also play a big role in negotiations.

Chicharito has made 22 appearances this season in all competitions having notched 602 minutes under his belt. He has five goals and two assists to his name and one very big Man of the Match performance.