Mariano Díaz, the former Lyon player who was on the verge of signing for Sevilla, is now officially a Real Madrid player. The Spaniard, who enjoyed a fine season in France where he scored 21 goals in 44 matches, arrives as the man to revitalise Julen Lopetegui's attack.
The striker could be about to inherit one of the most important shirts in Real Madrid's history: the number '7' which was vacated by Cristiano Ronaldo this summer. That is what Cadena Cope journalist, Miguel Ángel Díaz, claims today. Mariano is the fourth new face through the door at Madrid after Courtois, Odriozola, Vinicius and Lunin (since loaned to Leganés).
However, Madrid are yet to publish the official list of shirt numbers for the first team as the transfer window hasn't closed yet. The numbers which are vacant at the moment are '7', '15', '16' and '23'.
As Borja Mayoral and Kiko Casilla are both expected to depart it could free up even more shirt numbers. This means that Real Madrid are unlikely to publish an official list until the window closes on the 31st August. We'll see if Mariano will be able to handle the pressure of wearing such an important shirt, should the number '7' eventually be handed to him.