Real Madrid In spite of his Barcelona past

Real Madrid are keeping a close eye on Inter captain Mauro Icardi, who has scored 13 goals in 13 appearances this season.

Former Milan player Daniele Massaro said on Tuesday that the Argentine could be a replacement for Karim Benzema, comments which are likely to be well informed.

"I can tell you that, next year, Icardi will be at Real Madrid in Benzema's place," he told Premium Sport.

While Real Madrid consistently monitor a whole host of players on the continent, it is true that Icardi - a former Barcelona youth teamer - is one of the names on Los Blancos' list.

The forward, who is on a contract which runs until 2021, would cost around 100 million euros and he would be eligible to feature in the Champions League knockouts if signed as early as January.