Real Madrid 'make Joselu transfer decision ahead of deadline'

When Karim Benzema made the surprise decision to move to the Saudi Pro League last summer, Los Blancos had to decide how to react.

Acquiring the services of Joselu on loan from Espanyol, who had been relegated from La Liga, proved to be their chosen option, there being a reluctance to spend big on a major addition due to the prospect of Kylian Mbappe arriving a year later.

That assumption has since proven to be correct, with Mbappe's free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to the Bernabeu being confirmed on Monday night.

With Joselu at the back end of his career, it felt more likely than not that he would return to his parent club at the end of his temporary stint.

Instead, the 34-year-old has enjoyed the best campaign of his career, scoring 18 goals from 49 appearances to help Real to a La Liga and Champions League double.

Real reach decision on Joselu

Joselu's dramatic double against Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final will live fond in the memory, yet there is an acknowledgement that Mbappe's arrival will do him no favours.

Nevertheless, according to the NY Times, Real are choosing to activate the buy option that they were able to negotiate with Espanyol.

A €1.5m (£1.28m) deal is in place, and Carlo Ancelotti has seemingly signalled his desire to retain the services of the centre-forward.

Real will allegedly push through the signing once it has been determined whether Espanyol will return to La Liga, with the Parakeets currently waiting to participate in the playoff semi-finals.

Is Joselu happy to stay?

Although the possibility remains that Real could look to sell Joselu for a bigger fee, the general consensus is that Joselu is highly thought of in the dressing room.

Furthermore, the departures of experienced duo Nacho and Toni Kroos will be regarded as major losses behind the scenes, increasing the responsibility on Joselu in that area.

The arrival of Endrick means that Joselu faces the prospect of being fifth-choice in the attacking pecking order, not ideal if Ancelotti opts to stick with a front two.

Despite that, though, Joselu can expected to be heavily involved, even from the substitutes' bench, as he bids to prove his worth in a star-studded squad.