Real in talks to tie striker Mayoral to long-term deal

Real Madrid have opened negotiations with Borja Mayoral, the great white hope of the cantera, with the aim of keeping the Castilla forward at the club in the long-term. Real have great expectations for the 18-year-old and are attempting to push through a deal to extend Mayoral's contract until June 2022.

Talks are in the early stages and there are several questions remaining to be answered, not least the player's wage demands. The Castilla starting striker wants an increase to bring him in line with Martin Odegaard, the highest-paid player at the youth side who earns 1.2 million euros a season. Mayoral is also keen to learn if he will be promoted to the first team after signing a new deal or remain with Castilla. The Spain under-21 international made his debut for Real Madrid last October, replacing Toni Kroos towards the end of a home win over Las Palmas.

Also on the to-do list in the Bernabéu offices is the contract renewal of Mariano Díaz, the Dominican striker who has bagged 12 goals in 16 appearances this season for Castilla. Once Mariano has been taken care of (he is due to be promoted to the first team next season at the behest of Zinedine Zidane), the club will turn to Mayoral, who has also scored 12 this season, nine for Castilla and three with the Juvenil A youth side. Mayoral's scoring rate is phenomenal: since the start of the 2012-13 season he has hit 140 goals for the youth sides and Castilla, and was also the top scorer at the last European under-19 Championship for Spain, with three strikes.

Mayoral is expected to spend pre-season with the first team, as he did last year, and it will be then decided if he will stay with Castilla for the 2016-17 campaign, which will depend largely on whether the side achieve promotion to Segunda División.

Mayoral and Mariano are two of a raft of young players that Real Madrid hope will form the basis of the first team in the years to come. The club have been scouring the market for promising young players in recent windows and have added Marco Asensio (20), Jesús Vallejo (19), Odegaard (17) and Federico Valverde (18), a Uruguayan midfielder currently at Peñarol who will join Real on his 18th birthday in July.