Marca have a big front page splash on Wednesday about Real Madrid being in negotiations with Manchester City to sign Brahim Diaz during the January window.
But they don’t touch upon it again until page 20, which led a pre-coffee Sport Witness writer to the point of screaming ‘WHERE IS IT?’ in frustration.
Anyway, upon page 20 there’s a splash so big it takes up page 22 as well, Marca mean transfer business.
And it soon becomes very clear there’s an element of revenge to all of this. The Spanish newspaper start their long article by talking about Gabriel Jesus.
He was supposed to sign for Real Madrid. There was a €25m preferential clause. Everything was agreed.
And then Pep Guardiola came in, with Marca saying he told the player something along the lines of: “You are 19 years old and in Madrid you will not have minutes with the BBC. Come with me to City that I can guarantee you opportunities and here you will grow.”
It led to a ‘traumatic’ situation in the offices at the Bernabéu.
Now the situation is reversed, and Gabriel Jesus is one of the reasons Diaz can’t get in the City team often enough, it’s explained. The example of Jadon Sancho is also used, and Pep is seeing the Jesus transfer turned back on him for Diaz.
It’s all very dramatic.
Diaz’s entourage are said to have contacted Real Madrid a few months ago, and offered the player. Madrid, who have been following him for two years anyway, didn’t hesitate.
They don’t want to let others come in, such as PSG, so rather than waiting to get Diaz for free when his contract ends, Madrid have offered €10m.
City are said to want €20m.
They may meet somewhere in the middle. Any negotiation is likely to be complicated and involve clauses relating to the player’s future achievements, so it may drag on a while.
Let’s dub it Braxit.
