Real Madrid tipped to pull off hugely controversial transfer nobody expected and it would stun world football

The January transfer window is now only a few days away from opening for business and Real Madrid have been tipped to make a shock controversial signing from one of their most fierce rivals.

The Santiago Bernabeu side are in the fight to retain their La Liga title and sit only a point behind current leaders and cross town rivals Atletico Madrid at the division's summit.

The Spanish top flight - in common with many leagues around Europe - are currently on a Christmas break, and Real signed off with a 4-2 victory over Sevilla.

Goals from Kylian Mbappe, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz secured victory, with Isaac Romero and Dodi Lukebakio netting for the visitors.

Carlo Ancelotti's men return to action on January 3 when they travel to the Mestalla to take on Valencia as the La Liga campaign resumes.

By then, the January transfer window will also have opened and Real will have the chance to add to their ranks, should an opportunity present itself.

Moves directly between Real and El Clasico rivals Barcelona are fairly uncommon, with the most recent being Portugal legend Luis Figo.

Having won two La Liga titles and a pair of Copa del Rey crowns at the Camp Nou side, Figo crossed the divide with a controversial transfer worth €62m in 2000 after Real met his buyout clause and set a new world record in the process.

Barcelona's Dani Olmo. (Image: Getty)

Figo went on to win another two La Liga titles and the Champions League and is the last player to have moved directly between the two Spanish giants.

Now, Real are being encouraged to take advantage of a situation within the Barcelona squad and snatch one of their summer signings.

An opinion column from Marca journalist Jesus Sanchez is calling on Los Blancos president Florentino Perez to sign Dani Olmo, who arrived at Barca in the summer for €57m from RB Leipzig and take advantage of his uncertainty for the rest of the campaign.

Olmo - a member of Spain's Euro 2024 winning squad - came through the youth team ranks at Barcelona, but rejoined the club over the summer, scoring six goals in 15 games across all competitions so far.

However, Olmo was only granted a temporary registration to play until the end of the calendar year, after Barcelona were hit with restrictions for breaching La Liga's annual spending cap.

A court has rejected Barca's request to extend Olmo's registration beyond the end of December and it means he faces the prospect of sitting out the second half of the campaign.

The Marca column encourages Real to take advantage of this situation if it persists and bring Olmo to the Spanish capital, with Mundo Deportivo previously reporting that the player could leave Barca for free if the registration is not processed.

It remains to be seen if Real do opt to move for Olmo, but it would be a stunning and controversial transfer if it came to pass.