Real Madrid News
Confirmed: Real Madrid sign Moroccan attacker to strengthen Castilla squad
Granada have renewed the contract of Moroccan striker Rayan Zinebi until 2029, before sending him out on loan to Real Madrid Castilla for the 2026/27 season, confirms Mundo Deportivo.
The agreement between Granada and Zinebi, who is currently representing Morocco at the 2026 Mediterranean Games with the Under-20 national team, extends his contract until June 30, 2029.
The deal also includes an option to extend it by a further two seasons, depending on the achievement of various sporting objectives.
At the same time, Granada and Real Madrid reached an agreement for Zinebi to spend the season with the Madrid club, initially joining their reserve side in the RFEF Primera Federación.
“Granada Football Club and Rayan Zinebi , a player for Recreativo Granada Club , have reached a renewal agreement until June 30, 2029, with the option to extend for two more seasons depending on different sporting objectives,” the official statement read.
“In turn, the Nazari club and Real Madrid CF have reached a loan agreement for the player so that he will play for the Madrid club in the 2026/27 season.”
📜 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐨 𝐎𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥: Rayan Zinebi
— Granada CF Cantera (@CanteraNazari) August 28, 2026
🔗 https://t.co/VAh9VOzmD8 pic.twitter.com/tpuR9qm3Sv
The 19-year-old is regarded as one of Granada’s biggest academy prospects and one of the most promising young forwards in African football.
Another Granada player heads to Madrid
Zinebi becomes the second Granada player to move to Real Madrid in recent days.
The first was Ghanaian defender Oscar Naasei, who also joined the Spanish capital club earlier this week with the intention of playing for Castilla.
Zinebi arrived at Granada last summer as a youth player and ended the campaign by making his Segunda División debut with the first team.
He also took part in Granada’s pre-season preparations under coach José Rojo ‘Pacheta’ before departing to represent Morocco at the Mediterranean Games.
Now, his next stage of development will take place in Madrid, where Castilla will provide him with regular senior football while Real Madrid monitor his progress.
In what will come as a pleasing development for fans, Fabrizio Romano reports that Real Madrid forward Rodrygo could make a comeback from his injury earlier than expected.
The 25-year-old Brazilian international has been out of action since March after suffering an ACL injury during a La Liga game against Getafe.
Due to the complete rupture of the ACL, coupled with associated meniscus damage, it was suggested that the attacker was staring at a lengthy time out on the sidelines and might not return until 2027.
In fact, the forward’s father, Eric Goes, recently stated in an interview that the Real Madrid ace could be back in February next year, just before the business end of the campaign.
Rodrygo could be back in December
However, as per the update from Romano, Rodrygo’s comeback could happen well before that expected date.
Indeed, if things continue to progress at the current rate, the 25-year-old attacker might return to action in December or by January 2027 at the latest.
This will come as a welcome boost for Jose Mourinho & co., considering that Rodrygo is a valuable player for the team.
Even though he had endured a tough spell prior to his form, the Brazilian’s versatility, work rate off the ball, and eye for a goal make him an asset.
Rodrygo eager to be back at his best
The update from Romano further states that Rodrygo feels very grateful to Real Madrid for all the help and support they have given him during this difficult phase of his career.
As such, the Brazilian international has made it a mission to return to action in the best shape possible and make an impact from the get-go.
The attacker has only recently begun working on the pitch with the ball indicating the significant progress he has made on the road to recovery.
And, if there are no setbacks, Real Madrid could recover one of their ace attackers before the end of the current year.
So far in his career, Rodrygo has made 297 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring 71 goals. He has a contract with the club until 2028.
