Real Madrid duo Brahim and Mariano offered to Espanyol

Real Madrid duo Brahim and Mariano offered to Espanyol

Mariano apenas goza de minutos en el club blanco
Mariano apenas goza de minutos en el club blanco | EFE

Neither are in Zidane's plans but both could strengthen Machin's options

Names will continue to come up in the coming weeks as Espanyol owner Mr. Chen looks to invest in the team in January to strengthen Pablo Machin's hand. 

Two of the first two to crop up are the Real Madrid duo Brahim Diaz and Mariano, who have both been offered to Espanyol ahead of the winter transfer window. 

Neither Brahim nor Mariano are getting the minutes they want at Madrid and neither feature in coach Zinedine Zidane's plans. The Frenchman has a number of other options in attack. 

The relationship between Madrid and Espanyol is good, given they have previously done deals on players such as Callejon, Lucas Vazquez, Kiko Casilla and Marco Asensio. 

Espanyol like the idea but would need Madrid to play their part. Both players have large wages which the club would not be able to pay in full. 

Machin's side sit in the bottom three after 13 games but have shown signs of improvement since the former Girona manager was appointed last month. 

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