Real Madrid News
Real Madrid, Barcelona keeping tabs on Spanish prodigy with €10 million release clause
After duelling over the signing of Arda Guler this past summer, Real Madrid and Barcelona could again go to war for another young talent next year in the form of Hugo Sotelo.
Indeed, as per report from Oscar Mendez, both Real Madrid and Barcelona are closely tracking the progress of Sotelo at fellow La Liga club Celta Vigo.
Sotelo could be available for an affordable price
A talent from within the Celta Vigo youth academy, Sotelo has made five appearances for the club’s first team thus far, with two of them coming in the 2023/24 season.
The 19-year-old midfielder is held in high regard at the club and within Spain, but Celta have been unable to secure his long-term future with a new contract.
Sotelo is still currently on a subsidiary contract at Celta Vigo and talks over a new deal have not progressed after the club’s initial proposal was shot down a while ago.
As such, the Spanish talent as a €10 million release clause in his contract, which can rise to €20 million when he is officially promoted to the first-team setup.
But with his contract expiring in 2025 and no progress on a new deal, Sotelo’s situation has generated interest from several clubs, including both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
No offer made yet
The report highlights that Real Madrid and Barcelona have followed Sotelo for a while now and have closely scouted him in some matches.
But so far there has been no offer made from Carlo Ancelotti’s team or from their bitter rivals, while Celta still try to renew his contract.
It remains to be seen if Real Madrid consider triggering his release clause in the future if the midfielder does not sign a new deal.
Aurelien Tchouameni has had an exciting start to his career at Real Madrid. Since joining the club for almost €80 million last summer, the young Frenchman has now become a pivotal figure in Real Madrid’s midfield unit.
However, prior to his move to Santiago Bernabeu, the midfielder was closely linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni opened up on his links to PSG but revealed his decision to join Real Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni on PSG links
Talking about speculations linking him to PSG, Tchouameni said (h/t Madrid Zone), “PSG? Frankly, I thought about it. It’s a very big European club, we want the French clubs to succeed.”
“But honestly, when Real Madrid calls you, it’s very complicated to say no,” Tchouameni added.
The midfielder was linked with a move to PSG during his time at AS Monaco. Les Parisiens wanted to sign the youngster as part of their plans to reinforce the midfield unit.
Tchouameni, though, ended up opting for a move to Real Madrid, which turned out to be a prudent decision from the midfielder’s end.
Tchouameni’s career at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni made a total of 50 competitive appearances during his maiden season at Real Madrid.
Although the Frenchman was not entirely a first-team regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, his stature in the team is expected to grow in the coming years.
Especially as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric move on at the end of the season, there is scope for Tchouameni to become a first-team regular in the Real Madrid midfield in the years to come.
The former AS Monaco starlet has already played a crucial role in the starting eleven so far this season and it is only going to continue as the season progresses.
