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Real Madrid and Benfica reached an agreement for the loan of striker Mariano Diaz this past week. The loan included an option for the Portuguese side to buy the player in the summer of 2021, but Mariano has rejected the offer and is likely to stay in Madrid for another season, according to a report from AS.
Mariano wasn’t a relevant player for Madrid last season and the circumstances were similar. It’s true that he scored the team’s second goal in the crucial Clasico against Barcelona, but it’s likely that he will be behind Jovic in the rotation if he stays in the Spanish capital.
Mariano has only played 685 minutes over the last two seasons for Madrid yet he doesn’t seem interested in leaving the club. Right now, no other team is willing to match his current €5 million/year deal with Madrid and that seems to be a crucial point for him to stay.
It would be important for Los Blancos to get Mariano’s contract off their books, but it doesn’t seem very likely at this point.