Ante Budimir responds to Real Madrid links – “I’m happy where I am”

As per AS, new boss Xabi Alonso had asked the board to sign a natural number 9. The Spaniard is looking for a Juselu-type striker, who can offer sufficient threat in the opposition box with the addition of excellent crossers like Trent and Franco Mastantuono. According to the report, Ante Budimir ticks that box.

Budimir, 33 years old and 1.9m tall, scored a whopping 21 goals in laliga this season, while playing for Osasuna. At 33, Real Madrid sees him as the right squad player and are willing to enter the market for his services.

However, Ante Budimir doesn’t particularly look high on the idea of Joining Real Madrid this summer. This comes after his recent interview while with the Croatian NT.

Ante Budimir talks the possibilities of a move

While speaking to the media, the Croatian marksman was very straight forward:

“Real Madrid interest? I have the utmost respect for my club Osasuna. I’m very happy where I am. I understand there may be some interest, but my focus was on Croatia and now it’s time to rest.

“I will leave the transfer talks to someone else.”

The player is in no rush to make a decision now, and will prioritize going on break to take a well deserved rest after a hectic season. With a transfer fee of just €8m, it will be interesting to see if Real Madrid can get the player to join this summer.

Real Madrid already have other alternatives

Despite the fact that Ante Budimir is the most talked about with relation to Real Madrid, the club has already set aside other plans should this one not materialize. According to a previous report by AS, Roberto Firmino of Al Ahli and William Jose of  Bahia in Brazil could be real options.

With a long transfer window awaiting ahead, there is still a lot of time for twists and turns. It will be interesting to see if Real Madrid ends up signing any of the above mentioned.