Real Madrid News
Real Madrid will only sign former full-back in the summer due to La Liga rules
An important detail has emerged in the situation of Fran Garcia and his speculated move to Real Madrid.
Bayer Leverkusen’s interest in the player forced Los Blancos to make a quick decision regarding his future. Earlier today, the men in white agreed to exercise their right of first refusal to rule out a move to Germany.
The initial plan was to sign him immediately and loan him back to Rayo Vallecano for the rest of the season as Real Madrid did not want to inflict such a big blow to their direct rivals.
Sergio Santos reports that the option is now ruled out and that the Merengues will only exercise their purchase clause in the summer.
La Liga regulations stipulate that a player cannot be registered to the same team twice in a season, thus making it illegal for him to return to his parent club immediately.
The situation, in fact, is advantageous for Real Madrid. Rayo Vallecano executed a €2.5 million purchase clause in the summer of 2021. In June, the European Champions will be able to get him back for just €5 million.
In an inflated market, this would help Ancelotti sign a top-notch fullback and save every penny to pursue the likes of Jude Bellingham.
When signed in June, he will fight Ferland Mendy for a starting spot next season. Garcia’s arrival, meanwhile, could also put a halt to Los Blancos’ pursuit of Alphonse Davies in the summer.
Garcia has been fundamental to Andoni Iraola’s side this season, starting all 18 of their League games so far. In that duration, he has provided two assists and overseen six clean sheets. His most reassuring statistic is his defensive contributions as he averages close to eight per game.
Manchester City have now joined the ever-growing list of admirers for Celta Vigo midfielder and Real Madrid target Gabri Veiga, reports Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail.
The 20-year-old midfielder has emerged as one of the breakout stars of La Liga this season, having impressed with his goalscoring abilities from the centre of the park. Indeed, the youngster has notched up nine goals in La Liga and his exploits have made the giants of Europe sit up and take notice.
Real Madrid are said to be interested in Veiga’s services heading into the summer. The Merengues have Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Dani Ceballos on expiring contracts and it is unlikely that all three will be renewed, especially with Jude Bellingham being on the agenda.
In case of Modric and Kroos, even if they stay, it will likely be for only a season at the most. Hence, Los Blancos could require more than one central midfielder come summer, with Veiga emerging as an option.
The 20-year-old was also attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid. Now, Manchester City have also jumped on the bandwagon of clubs interested in Veiga’s services.
The Cityzens, who are battling Real Madrid for Bellingham as well, are set to lose Ilkay Gundogan in the summer when his contract expires. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva’s future is also far from certain, thus necessitating the signing of another midfielder.
Veiga has a release clause worth €40 million in his contract with Celta Vigo, which should not be a problem for either Real Madrid or Manchester City.
Celta Vigo president Carlos Mourino recently admitted that the midfielder could leave the club in the summer, saying:
“We don’t want to sell Gabri Veiga, but they are going to buy him from us. And we can’t do anything there. We know some of his offers and it is impossible to reach them.
“There are several teams behind Gabri. Real Madrid? They haven’t asked us, we don’t know if they will have called the player. Of the top 10 in the Premier League, four have asked about him.”
It will certainly be interesting to see whether Real Madrid are prepared to go all out for Veiga’s signing or decide to entirely focus on their pursuit of Bellingham.
