According to Marca, Florentino Perez is ready to launch an official bid for the Italian top-flight attacker.

With Cristiano Ronaldo gone, Real Madrid has the difficult task of searching for players who can help fill the void left by the Portuguese icon. Eden Hazard has been a name heavily linked with, but a recent report claims another player is now on their radar.

That man is none other than Mauro Icardi, the Inter Milan striker who has been receiving rave reviews in Italy. While this is not the first time that the Argentine has been linked with Los Blancos, Marca claims the Florentino Perez is now ready to follow up on initial January talks with an official bid after seeing their all-time top scorer walk out the door.

While Hazard could be the Galactico to excite fans, somewhat similar to Neymar, he is unlikely to succeed Ronaldo as Real Madrid's source for goals. Here is where Icardi steps in, as the 25-year-old has a good track record of finding the back of the net.

Last season, he netted 29 times in Serie A alone to finish as the joint-top scorer in the Italian top-flight. His exploits in front of goal in 2017/18 proved crucial, as they helped the Nerazzurri return to the Champions League.

In total, he has 100 Serie A goals in 159 appearances for his current employers, which is an impressive number. He is one that could complement Benzema or replace him should the Frenchman's inconsistency persist. Icardi, however, has a hefty $129m release clause, but that should not be an outrageous asking price for a club with Real Madrid's financial power.

Inter Milan looks resigned to losing the Argentine, who was a shock omission from the 2018 World Cup. He is yet to sign a new deal and the Italian outfit is thus searching for possible replacements.