real madrid hijack diaz sevilla switch

By Harry Morgan

Real Madrid have hijacked Mariano Diaz’s move to Sevilla with the Spanish outfit said to have activated the option to buyback the player they sold to Lyon last season.

Real Madrid shipped the 25-year-old striker to France after the academy product failed to impress at the Bernabeu.

Mariano enjoyed a good season with Lyon, scoring 21 goals, and Sevilla have agreed on a €40m transfer fee with the French club.

Madrid stand to earn 35 per cent of any profit made on a future transfer, but Sevilla President Pepe Castro has told reporters the White Angels have informed him they want to exercise a buyback clause they inserted in the player’s transfer to Lyon.

El Pais has reported that Madrid manager, Julen Lopetegui, has informed Mariano of the decision and that the latter is excited about it.

"Real Madrid have a buy option they are going to exercise," said Jose Castro. “But we still have no communication from the player, who has told us that he wanted to play with Sevilla again and again. He has the ability to say one thing or another.”

"We negotiated with Lyon and then they have 48 hours to decide. Real Madrid did it. Am I annoyed with Real Madrid? Not at all. This is football. We have to keep working.

“We have done what we had to do, in good faith, with an agent and a player who tells us on videos and audios that he only wants to play in Sevilla."