How Real Madrid’s transfer strategy with youth players has led to €160 million in potential earnings | OneFootball

In recent years, Real Madrid have adopted a very effective strategy of selling their youth players permanently.

While the club have not been able to compete with Barcelona when it comes to integrating their academy stars into the first-team, they have employed a more ingenious strategy.

Although Real Madrid are selling their youth players at will, they have been smart enough to retain 50% transfer rights, which allows them to buy the player back on a cut-price deal.

Real Madrid have gained €160 million through youth players

As reported by AS, Real Madrid have gained up to €160 million in pure market value thanks to their strategy of selling youth players with 50% transfer rights.

At the moment, Real Madrid have ten such players who are playing elsewhere but with Los Blancos holding half of their transfer rights.

The biggest case in point is Nico Paz, who left the academy when he was valued at €10 million. Now, he is valued at an impressive €65 million, thanks to his success at Como.

Nico Paz is set to return to Real Madrid next summer. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Paz’s success at Como has even convinced Real Madrid to bring him back to Santiago Bernabeu next season, with Dani Ceballos likely to be the sacrificial lamb.

Paz is not the only Como player Real Madrid are still associated with. Jacobo Ramon, too, has enjoyed immense success and has gone from being valued at €1 million to €18 million. His success has even led to reports that Real Madrid may bring him back as well.

Another top reference is Chema Andres. He was valued at around €800k when joining Stuttgart, but is now valued at €14.2 million after his success in the Bundesliga.

Some of the other examples include Alex Jimenez, Victor Munoz, Antonio Blanco and Mario Gila. In total, there are ten players, all of whom combined have seen a value appreciation of €160 million.