Report: Club looking to sell Spurs-linked 26-year-old ‘similar’ to Harry Kane and Jermain Defoe

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A player reportedly sought after by Tottenham Hotspur has been made available for transfer by his parent club, according to Spanish outlet AS.

El Desmarque reported in October last year that Spurs were interested in bringing Real Madrid striker Mariano Diaz to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In the end, nothing came of the speculation, and Tottenham’s failure to bolster their attacking ranks proved costly as Son Heung-min joined Harry Kane on the sidelines.

Diaz came through the ranks at Real Madrid but was sold to Lyon in 2017, where he registered an impressive 21 goals and six assists in 48 games for the French side.

He was subsequently re-signed by Los Blancos in 2018, rejoining under Julen Lopetegui’s watch and taking the number seven shirt made vacant by Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus.

“Today Mariano returned to us, who arrives with goals in his DNA,” Florentino Perez was quoted by ESPN as saying.

However, the Dominican Republic international hasn’t been in Zinedine Zidane’s plans and has especially struggled for game time this term, making a mere four substitute appearances in all competitions.

Overall, he has made just 37 competitive first-team appearances for the Bernabeu side, though he has still registered 10 goals and two assists.

According to AS, Diaz is one of six players who the Spanish giants are looking to offload during the summer as they seek to free up over £100million from their wage bill.

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Diaz may not have had the best of times at Real Madrid but his stint at Lyon showed just what a devastating striker he is, with a superb eye for goal – often picking out the corners of the net.

According to The Coaches’ Voice, he “strikes his shots in a similar style to that of Harry Kane or Jermain Defoe, to bounce either just in front of or behind the goalkeeper.”

With Mauricio Pochettino, the manager who reportedly wanted him, no longer at Spurs, it remains to be seen whether successor Jose Mourinho will keep tabs on a player who has plenty of quality and has been under-utilised.