Real Madrid Academy's Summer Clear-Out: García to Fulham and More
Real Madrid are stripping back their academy ranks with the precision of a club that knows exactly what it has in its hands – and what it can charge for it.
The latest jewel to go is Gonzalo García. His move to Fulham is set at 40 million euros fixed, plus a further two million in variables, with the English club taking 70% of his sporting rights. For a player still at the start of his senior career, it is a statement fee. For Madrid, it is also a carefully designed long game.
Gonzalo leaves, but not as a closed chapter. Both he and the club view this as a step out, not a goodbye. Madrid keep 30% of his rights and a right of first refusal on any future transfer. If he explodes in London and a third club comes calling, the Bernabéu will be waiting at the front of the queue – and counting the money.
They see it as the perfect deal: cash now, upside later, and a player developing in a top league without clogging up an already stacked first-team pathway.
Palacios next in line for Fulham
On the other side of the same operation sits César Palacios. His move is not as advanced as Gonzalo’s, but the road appears to lead to the same destination: Craven Cottage.
No one involved is treating it as done yet, but the confidence around the deal is clear. It is moving at its own rhythm, yet always in the same direction – towards the Premier League.
Palacios will not command the same figure as his teammate. His transfer is expected to land between 8 and 10 million euros, depending on variables. Again, Madrid will keep a percentage of his rights and a right of first refusal. Another carefully placed bet on a player they are not ready to completely let go.
A summer of exits worth almost 200 million
Gonzalo’s fee is not an isolated hit. It drops into a summer that has already turned Valdebebas into one of the most profitable production lines in European football.
Add his sale to those of Nico Paz, Víctor Muñoz, Mario Gila, Álvaro Rodríguez, Álex Jiménez, Fran García, Mario Martín and, most recently, Valdenías, and the figure climbs to 175.5 million euros. Nine academy-related deals, one staggering total.
If Palacios signs on the dotted line, the number jumps again, up to 185.5 million euros. And the conveyor belt is still moving.
Ortega, the next big cheque
The next in line is perhaps the most striking example of Madrid’s current model. Jacobo Ortega has not played a single minute for the first team, yet he is on the verge of joining a top-flight European club.
According to AS, Strasbourg are closing in on Ortega for 8 million euros, in exchange for 50% of his rights. No senior debut in white, but a substantial fee and half of his future still tied to Madrid. If the French club turn him into a major asset, the Spanish giants will be there to share the profit.
With Ortega’s departure, the total revenue from these academy operations would rise to 193.5 million euros. From players many fans have barely seen at the Bernabéu, Madrid are extracting elite-level transfer numbers.
Sevilla circle Fran González
The next file on the desk belongs to Fran González, the club’s third-choice goalkeeper and a Spain under-21 international. Sevilla want him, and talks are under way.
For now, negotiations have hit a snag. The two clubs remain apart on the fee and the sporting conditions of the move. Even so, the sense around the deal is that it will eventually get done. The interest is real, the profile fits, and the market tends to reward patience when both sides see value on the table.
If Sevilla and Madrid find common ground, the club will edge even closer to a symbolic threshold: 200 million euros raised in a single window from academy player sales.
It is more than a number. It is a sign of how Real Madrid now operate – producing, projecting, and profiting from talent long before many of those players ever walk out under the Bernabéu lights.
