One-season wonder! Joselu set to leave Real Madrid after incredible campaign ahead of Kylian Mbappe & Endrick arrivals

According to COPE, Joselu is seeking a change of scenery, despite the club being willing to pay the €1.5 million (£1.3m/$1.6m) option to make his loan from Espanyol into a permanent transfer. The reason being is the imminent arrivals in Madrid of Mbappe and Endrick. Joselu is expected to head to Qatari side Al Gharafa, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Once of the club's youth ranks, Joselu returned to Real Madrid last summer on loan after impressing in La Liga with Alaves and Espanyol. He was effectively the sole replacement for Karim Benzema, with the club possessing no other recognised central striker despite then going on to win a rare La Liga and Champions League double. Joselu himself was crucial to the latter success, scoring two late goals in the semi-final against Bayern Munich when it was the Germans who were heading through. Overall, he scored 18 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions. But with Mbappe and Endrick swelling the attacking ranks, Joselu's race back at the Bernabeu has effectively been run and his game time, if he stayed, would likely be massively reduced.

Between 2010 and 2012, Joselu scored in both of his only two first-team appearances during his first spell at Real Madrid - against Almeria in La Liga and Ponferradina in the Copa del Rey.

Carlo Ancelotti developed a hugely successful 4-3-1-2 formation in 2023-24 that utilised Jude Bellingham as a 'number 10' and Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo as central strikers. The task now is how he can continue to get the best out of that trio, but also find places for Mbappe and Endrick as well..