Real Madrid add six strikers to transfer shortlist?

Carlo Ancelotti's side will once again head into the new campaign with Karim Benzema leading the line after failing to prise Kylian Mbappe away from Paris Saint-Germain.

However, the La Liga and Champions League holders are set to be in the market for a new centre-forward who can provide backup and competition to the 34-year-old.

Borja Mayoral and Mariano Diaz are both expected to leave the club in the coming weeks, and the likes of Benjamin Sesko, Timo Werner and Armando Broja are being linked with moves to the Bernabeu.

Now, Defensa Central claims that Los Blancos are considering as many as six other strikers for the role as Benzema's deputy in 2022-23, including two other Salzburg youngsters.

Switzerland international Noah Okafor - who only has two years left to run on his contract with the Austrian champions - has supposedly been mentioned as a potential target.

The 22-year-old amassed nine goals and nine assists from 21 top-flight games last season and will shoulder more of the attacking burden this term following Karim Adeyemi's exit for Borussia Dortmund.

Real are also said to be keeping tabs on the development of Okafor's teammate Roko Simic, who is eight years his junior at just 18 and is seeking to make the step-up to top-tier senior football.

Simic was loaned out to second-tier side FC Liefering last season and scored 19 goals in 24 league games, finishing third in the top-scoring charts.

The Croatia youth international has only made three senior appearances for Salzburg but has struck seven goals in nine UEFA Youth League matches for their Under-19s.

The report adds that Brian Brobbey is also on the list, but the 20-year-old has only just completed a permanent move back to Ajax from RB Leipzig.

As many as three Bundesliga strikers have also been shortlisted, including Stuttgart's Sasa Kalajdzic, who is also said to be on the radar of Manchester United.

Jonathan Burkardt of Mainz 05 is also thought to be admired by those at the Bernabeu after scoring 11 Bundesliga goals last term, but the 22-year-old is content with his current club.

The sixth and final name on the list is 20-year-old Georginio Rutter of Hoffenheim, who left Rennes to sign for the German side for just £675k in January 2021.

Rutter hit eight goals and four assists in 33 Bundesliga appearances last season, and his contract with Hoffenheim still has four years left to run.