Forward outscored only by Lewandowski and Mbappe available for €8m

It does little for the peace of mind of any Osasuna fan to imagine what their season would have been like without Croatian star Ante Budimir. However recent reports suggest that it may will be something that they must concern themselves with.

The veteran forward, who turns 34 before next season, enjoyed his best ever campaign with Osasuna last season, scoring 21 goals in La Liga last season. That total took him to third in the Pichichi race, behind only Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe. Scoring three times in the Copa del Rey too, in total Budimir registered 24 goals and four assists in his 42 appearances, becoming Osasuna’s top scorer in Primera in their history.

Budimir release clause has Osasuna on alert

Given that Budimir is settled in Pamplona, and he is now in the twilight of his career, Los Rojillo generally would not be too concerned about holding onto Budimir. Yet a report from Diario de Navarra, as quoted by Sport, has revealed that for a period of time, Budimir’s release clause has dropped to just €8m. Later this summer, it will return to the €20m figure in his deal until now.

Real Madrid and Besiktas interest

Real Madrid have included him in their shortlist for a number nine this summer, as they consider repeating the trick they pulled off with Joselu Mato. He too was the third-top scorer in Spain at Espanyol two seasons ago, before Los Blancos came calling. Meanwhile Turkish giants Besiktas are also interested, and Budimir has recently met with agent Mladen Grgic to discuss his future.

Is Budimir a sound investment at €8m?

While Budimir will begin next season at the age of 34, his numbers suggest that he has only improved in recent years at Osasuna, and he has spoken positively about the shape he is in. Were Besiktas to make him their primary forward, then it remains to be seen how he would respond to playing two or three games per week. For Real Madrid, with Budimir likely to be in a secondary role, he could well provide a useful alternative for a couple of seasons.