Raul de Tomas Opens Door to Real Madrid Return

Raul de Tomas, or rather “RDT”, is an option Real Madrid are looking at to reinforce the striker position this summer, according to a report from AS. It looks increasingly likely that Erling Haaland will opt for a move to Manchester City instead of the Spanish capital. Current back up strikers, Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz, are both expected to depart. Jovic has suitors in England (Arsenal, West Ham), Italy (AC Milan, Inter Milan), and Germany (Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt). It’s unclear whether Mariano would leave the club if given the opportunity, as last year he reportedly turned down a loan to Rayo Vallecano despite maintaining the same wages.

RDT made a good showing at the Bernabeu this weekend, despite his team’s 4-0 loss. He worried Thibaut Courtois twice — once with a direct free kick and another time with a dipping shot from outside the box. The 27-year-old has scored 15 goals and provided 3 assists in 31 La Liga appearances this season. He is now a regular call-up to Luis Enrique’s Spain side. RDT has long been a favorite of Managing Madrid’s Kiyan Sobhani and Matt Wiltse after his exploits on loan at Rayo Vallecano in the 2018/2019 where he managed to score 14 goals in La Liga for a relegation side.

After the match this weekend at the Santiago Bernabeu, Raul de Tomas opened the door to a return to Real Madrid. “Of course I would be open to a return. That is a dream of mine. This is my home and the place where I have grown,” the striker told DefensaCentral. Those were the same words reiterated from the striker in an interview with AS in November of 2021:

Could you return to Real Madrid?

“I focus on the day to day and you never know. I was brought up at Madrid from the age of eight and you never know.”

Do you still dream of succeeding at Madrid, succeeding at the Bernabéu?

“That’s a good question (laughs). Of course, I would like to. It would be a dream to return to Real Madrid because I grew up there. When I was eight years old I used to walk through the door of the Ciudad Deportiva of Real Madrid. Everybody has a dream to return to the place where they grew up. Why not? You never know.”

Regardless of whether he returns to his boyhood club, Raul de Tomas will likely be on the move this summer. Espanyol are rumored to want around €35 million for the player, with Arsenal having been linked heavily in the past.