Real Madrid News
Real Madrid pushing hard to sign 20-year-old winger after Atletico Madrid exit
Real Madrid are closing in on another signing from Atletico Madrid’s youth system, with 20-year-old winger Jorge Rajado emerging as the latest player poised to make the move across the Spanish capital.
According to AS, Real Madrid are pushing strongly to secure Rajado after the youngster ended his decade-long association with Atletico.
The winger is now free to pursue the next stage of his career, with Real Madrid looking to take advantage of the situation.
Rajado has been regarded as one of the more promising players within Atletico’s academy.
His powerful shooting ability has helped him stand out, although his development has been interrupted by a series of injuries.
Real Madrid step up pursuit of Rajado
Rajado spent 10 years within Atletico’s youth structure before bringing that spell to an end. Last season, he featured 16 times for Atletico C and scored four goals.
Those numbers only tell part of the story, with injuries having restricted his progression during a period when he was attempting to establish himself at senior level.
Real Madrid now see an opportunity to bring the winger into their own development system.
The move would place Rajado in La Fabrica, where he would continue his progression after leaving Atletico.
Another chapter in the academy rivalry
Rajado’s potential move is quite significant because of the increasingly common movement of young players between Madrid’s two biggest clubs.
The relationship between the academies changed considerably after Jesus Fortea brought an agreement between the clubs to an end in 2022.
Since then, Real Madrid have been particularly active in recruiting players from Atletico’s youth setup.
That has made switches from the Academia to La Fabrica far less unusual than they once were.
Real Madrid have been the club to take the most players from Atletico’s academy since the previous arrangement ended, although the traffic has not been entirely one-way.
Atletico have also strengthened their youth ranks with players coming from their city rivals.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid superstar’s summer contract renewal saga compared to a romantic movie: ‘We know how the movie will end’
Vinicius Junior’s contract renewal with Real Madrid was one of the club’s biggest stories of the summer.
Months of uncertainty eventually ended in a long-term agreement that keeps the Brazilian at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2032.
At one point, it looked like the prospect of the Brazilian leaving the Santiago Bernabeu this summer was a realistic possibility.
However, as quoted by MARCA, Thiago Freitas, operations director at Roc Nation, has compared the entire saga to a romantic film with a happy ending.
Vinicius renewal was far from straightforward
Freitas explained that the negotiations were handled by Roc Nation executive Federico Pena and admitted that reaching the final agreement required patience from everyone involved.
“This operation between Vini and Real Madrid was like a trilogy of romance movies,” Freitas said.
“Throughout the movies there are conflicts, there are issues, there are some obstacles. But we all know how the movie will end: with a big kiss and everyone happy,” he added.
There was plenty of speculation around Vinicius while negotiations continued, particularly as the process stretched across the summer.
However, Freitas made it clear that the Brazilian’s preference was always to continue at Real Madrid rather than look for an exit.
“You only have to remember the history of all the players who have passed through Madrid in the last 20 or 30 years. None of them wanted to leave,” he said.
That is an important point for Madrid supporters. The difficulty appears to have been reaching an agreement that satisfied both sides, rather than convincing Vinicius that his future belonged at the club.
Jose Mourinho now has certainty
For Jose Mourinho, the first few weeks were spent in uncertainty over whether Vinicius would be part of his project at the club.
The Portuguese tactician has always been a vocal advocate of keeping the Brazilian and was said to have been a driving factor in the contract negotiations.
Ultimately, as Freitas put it, everything ended in a big hug and a kiss between Vinicius and Real Madrid. It meant that everyone, except Arsenal were happy.
It remains to be seen whether the 26-year-old can now repay the club and Mourinho’s faith in him, and return to his best level this season and beyond.
