Real Madrid News
Confirmed: Real Madrid sign former Atletico Madrid academy winger
Real Madrid have signed Jorge Rajado after the winger had terminated his contract with Atletico Madrid.
After spending a decade in the Colchoneros’ academy, Rajado has now made the move to La Fabrica, with Real Madrid having monitored him for some time.
The 20-year-old has already shown off his new club colours on social media.
From Atletico C to Real Madrid C
Rajado will be registered with Real Madrid C, although the Merengues intend for him to also play for Castilla during the season.
He made 16 appearances in Tercera Federacion for Atletico C last season, scoring three goals as the team secured promotion to Segunda Federacion.
That will be Rajado’s starting level with Real Madrid C, but he already has experience of Primera Federacion, having played for the Atleti reserves under Fernando Torres a couple of seasons ago. As such, he could step up to Castilla when required.
Rajado has also represented the Spanish national team at the Under-17 and Under-18 level.
His arrival gives Real Madrid another promising attacking option within their academy structure.
Another academy move between the Madrid clubs
Rajado’s transfer is the latest instance of players moving between the youth systems of Atlético and Real Madrid since the two clubs’ non-aggression pact was broken in 2022, with the arrival of Jesus Fortea at La Fabrica.
The flow has worked in both directions, with Alvaro Vega being an example of a player leaving Real Madrid’s youth setup for their cross-town rivals.
The reverse movement has continued as well. Last weekend, Torres handed a debut to Álvaro Vega, a 16-year-old winger who joined Atlético’s academy this summer from Valdebebas.
For Rajado, the move represents a fresh start after ten years in Atlético’s academy, with the opportunity to establish himself at Real Madrid C while also catching the eye at Castilla.
Real Madrid News
Jose Mourinho was always clear about getting rid of Real Madrid midfielder this summer – report
Real Madrid’s summer transfer window was largely successful, not only in terms of securing key arrivals but also in terms of letting go of players who had no place in the dynamics.
One player who stood out in the second category was Dani Ceballos as the Spanish midfielder was frozen out of Real Madrid’s starting dynamics for several years before his eventual departure.
In the end, the club simply let the player leave as a free agent by accepting a contract termination as they saw the salary space freed as a win compared to his presence.
Mourinho’s clear stance
As confirmed in a recent report by Diario AS, Real Madrid’s new manager Jose Mourinho has no doubt that he did not count on Ceballos for the ongoing season.
Being the straightforward communicator that he is, the Portuguese manager directly informed Ceballos that he did not count on him in any capacity, speaking out loud about a fact that was known as an open secret for a long time.
Having clarity that his situation at the club was not going to change, Ceballos pressed to leave and eventually had his way as the club allowed him to walk out of the front door with no transfer fee.
Times were tense
The Spanish outlet also add that the decision to let the player leave with a contract termination was not easy for Real Madrid to accept, especially given that it is a last resort.
In the negotiations between Ceballos and the Real Madrid hierarchy, there were some moments filled with tension and disagreements.
In fact, there was even an initial exit agreement that was reached which was cancelled in the hope of a better outcome.
Eventually, however, both parties reached a fitting resolution and Real Madrid enabled the player’s departure without any hurdles and Ceballos went on to join Real Betis.
Even that move required the player to take a massive cut on his salary, but the saga worked out well for both clubs as the player. From Real Madrid’s perspective, the space created on the team’s roster was worth its weight in gold.
