Joselu wrote his name in Real Madrid's history books and Los Blancos have lacked a proper target men ever since he left the Estadio Bernabeu.
There's no doubt Kylian Mbappe has been thriving when leading the line this season.
Madrid also have Gonzalo Garcia waiting in the wings and proving to be a promising talent when called upon. But the club lack a dominant frontman who can bully defenders with his strength and physicality.
Joselu was your typical number nine who the opposition often feared due to his aerial prowess. These are all traits that Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta posseses and why the Frenchman's potential availability should have Los Blancos on high alert.
This season has highlighted Madrid's over reliance on Mbappe to lead the line and this came with consequences at the start of the year. The 27-year-old was sidelined with a knee sprain and could only play the last 20 minutes of the Supercopa de Espana final defeat to Barcelona.
Mbappe is in red-hot form and is untouchable in this team having bagged 32 goals in 27 games. But his fellow countryman Mateta offers a different profile that could really benefit Alvaro Arbeloa or a possible long-term manager come next season.
The 28-year-old is powerful and a constant threat from set piece situations and he also posseses pace. He has impressed under Oliver Glasner at Palace, finding the back of the net 40 times in 92 games.
Mateta could be open to a rotational role at Madrid if he were to arrive at the Bernabeu. At six foot four, he'd be a superb target man to hold up the ball and bring pacey wingers such as Vinicius Junior into play.
Fabrizio Romano reported last June that the club wanted to sign a new center forward "similar to Joselu." This is their chance to do so.
Mateta will have just a year left on his contract with Palace in the summer which puts the Premier League club under pressure to consider selling. He has reportedly told the London outfit that he wants to leave this month, per Sky Sports.
Florentino Perez is unlikely to conduct any transfer business before the deadline on February 2nd. But when a market opportunity such as Mateta comes up it shouldn't be ignored.
Palace are prepared to sell the French frontman for around €30 million which is a decent price for a player who has proven they can deliver in a top European league. It seems unlikely Los Blancos move for him but if Arbeloa were to desire a different focal point in attack to help ease the burden on Mbappe, he ticks the boxes.