REAL MADRID
Mariano turned down 10 offers to stay at Real Madrid
Alavés and Betis pushed hard to get the striker on loan. Sporting, Leganés and Málaga were also interested as well as clubs in England and Germany...
Mariano going nowhere
Apart from farming out Lucas Silva to Cruzeiro, the only operation which Real Madrid could have entertained before tonight's transfer window deadline concerned Mariano, who in the end will be staying on at the club.
Alavés request
The Dominican centre-foward has attracted a host of suitors but rejected as many as 10 loan offers to stay on at Real Madrid. AS understands that the two clubs who insisted the most of the past few days were Alavés and Betis. The Basque outfit was especially keen to bring in Mariano as a solution to their seemingly endless goal drought (they've scored just 17 goals in the league). They used the example of how Marcos Llorente has prospered at Mendizorroza but Mariano was adamant on staying where he is.
Impressive figures
Curiously, Mariano's statistics put him as Madrid's third most effective forward. He has only clocked 223 minutes of playing time but is already on five goals - that's an average of one every 45 minutes.
Leganés are also suffering to find the target and in the end, they have brought in Alberto Bueno from Granada. Sporting de Gijón and Málaga were also keen to give Mariano regular playing time on loan until the end of the season. Outside of Spain enquiries were received from Liverpool and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Mariano and his advisers know that even if he figures sporadically between now and the end of the season, he will have more bargaining power by staying on at Real Madrid before deciding what he will do next season.