Although the six signings made by Real Madrid would excite the fans the most, another very prominent aspect of the club’s transfer market activity has been the sales of youth academy talent which have provided them with a very significant cash injection, reaching up to €200 million.
The most notable of these academy players and graduates who have undertaken moves away from the Merengue club this summer include Gonzalo Garcia, Nico Paz, Cesar Palacios, Victor Valdepenas, and Mario Martin. Meanwhile, Los Blancos have also earned money from the sales of players like Victor Munoz and Alvaro Rodriguez, other La Fabrica graduates on whom they had sell-on clauses.
However, these departures, and the earnings they entail, have not yet come to an end. As Diario AS has reported, another youth academy player, Jacobo Ortega, has now completed his move away from Real Madrid, as he joined the Ligue 1 side RC Strasbourg Alsace in exchange for €10 million. Los Blancos will keep 30% of the player’s rights and have already confirmed his departure.
This is another very good piece of business from the Merengues, as the youngster becomes the club’s most expensive sale of a player who had not yet made his debut with the first team. Ortega was still registered with the Real Madrid C team, but had already shown his talent and potential by being the top-scorer in the UEFA Youth League last season.
Jacobo Ortega has now signed a five-year contract with Strasbourg, and at 20 years of age, has taken a very important step in his career. Hopefully, he will continue to develop at the French club and turn out to be an important player for them going forward. The youngster still has several years of growth and development ahead of him, but if everything turns out well, he can become a top-level forward in Europe, and maybe return to Real Madrid one day.