‘Imminent’ Leeds bid for Gonzalo Garcia will spark CLEAR Real Madrid response – TWO sources

Leeds United will be wise to give up on their ambitious pursuit of Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Garcia, with a second and reliable source revealing the final decision that Los Blancos manager Xabi Alonso has made on the youngster.

With Leeds having scored just 11 goals in 12 Premier League matches and sitting third from bottom in the table, manager Daniel Farke has to bring in a new striker in the January transfer window to have any chance of staving off the dreaded drop to the Championship.

TEAMtalk understands that 49ers Enterprises are aware of the need to sign a new striker for Leeds in January, with the West Yorkshire club having earned Garcia as a prime target.

Our transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, reported on November 19 that Leeds are planning an ‘imminent’ bid for Real Madrid striker Garcia.

Farke has convinced the Leeds board to move for the 21-year-old Spanish striker, with the Whites willing to pay as much as £20million (€22.7m, $26.3m), including add-ons.

However, Leeds’ quest to bring Garcia to Elland Road appears to be well and truly over.

On November 20, E-Noticies reported that Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has decided to keep Garcia.

‘Xabi Alonso has decided that Gonzalo García will stay at Real Madrid’, claimed the report in the Catalan news outlet, noting that the former Bayer Leverkusen manager is aware that ‘he will need real rotations, not just theoretical ones, especially up front’.

A more reliable source, The Athletic, has now backed that claim, noting that Madrid have turned down Getafe’s request for a loan for Garcia, who starred for the Spanish and European giants at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the summer and scored four goals and gave one assist in six matches.

While reporting that ‘Madrid have received requests to take 21-year-old striker Gonzalo Garcia on loan in the winter window, the report stated: ‘One club to approach them was Getafe, but this was turned down because Alonso plans to keep him in his squad.’

READ MORE 🔴 Real Madrid media realise what Liverpool fans knew all along about Trent Alexander-Arnold – ‘Erratic’, ‘fragile’, ‘extraordinary’

Endrick to Lyon is blocking Gonzalo Garcia to Leeds

Leeds’ quest to sign Garcia was always going to end in disappointment, as Alonso and Madrid were never going to let two strikers leave in the January transfer window.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano and The Athletic have long reported that Endrick is set to join Lyon on loan from Real Madrid in the January transfer window.

If Garcia were to leave the Santiago Bernabeu in the middle of the season, then that would leave Los Blancos with just one recognised striker in the squad – Kylian Mbappe.

True, both Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo can play as a forward, but the former is at his best on the left wing and there are doubts about the latter’s immediate future.

Mbappe is banging in the goals for fun at the moment, having scored 13 goals in 13 LaLiga matches and five goals in four Champions League appearances for Madrid so far this season.

However, there is always the risk of Mbappe getting injured or needing rest as the season progresses.

Latest Real Madrid transfer news: Haaland interest, Estevao praise

Meanwhile, sources have told TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Dean Jones, about the likelihood of Real Madrid raiding Manchester City for Erling Haaland should Vinicius Junior leave in the summer of 2025.

Just days after it was revealed that Real Madrid ‘regret’ missing out on Estevao Willian, the Chelsea winger’s heroics against Barcelona in the Champions League have been hailed in the Spanish media.

And finally, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed the first signing that Real Madrid will make in 2026.