Gonzalo Garcia to Leeds ‘decision’ reached after Xabi Alonso ‘promise’ to Real Madrid striker – report | OneFootball

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso’s stance on letting Gonzalo Garcia leave amid Leeds United’s quest to bring him to Elland Road in the January transfer window has been revealed in the Spanish media, and TEAMtalk believes that it is the right call.

With Leeds United needing attacking reinforcements in the January transfer window as manager Daniel Farke aims to avoid the dreaded drop from the Premier League, Madrid striker Garcia has emerged as a top target for the West Yorkshire club.

Garcia starred for Real Madrid at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the summer of 2025, scoring four goals and giving one assist in six matches, before earning a new contract with the Spanish and European giants.

However, the 21-year-old Spain Under-21 international has found it hard to get into the Madrid starting line-up, with Los Blancos manager Xabi Alonso regularly playing the great Kylian Mbappe.

Garcia has played just 96 minutes in LaLiga and only 11 minutes in the Champions League so far this season, leading Leeds among other clubs to believe that they would be able to prise him away in January.

TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, reported on November 19 that Leeds are planning to make an ‘imminent’ bid for Garcia, who has interest from Aston Villa, Wolves, Sunderland and Brighton and Hove Albion as well.

Madrid Madrid are willing to sanction a permanent exit or loan-with-obligation for around €20m (£17.6m / $23.2m) to guarantee the youngster regular football.

According to E-Noticies, though, Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, though, does not want Garcia to leave.

The Spanish news outlet has noted that while the striker and his agents had been considering a loan exit in the middle of the season, ‘the recent international break has changed everything’, noting the striker’s goal and performance for the Spain Under-21 side against their Romanian counterparts in their 2-0 win on Tuesday.

‘Gonzalo García’s performance with the Under-21s has finally convinced Xabi Alonso that he cannot afford to lose such a goalscorer, even temporarily,’ notes the report.

‘The coach has understood that the schedule is demanding and that he will need real rotations, not just theoretical ones, especially up front.

‘Xabi Alonso has decided that Gonzalo García will stay at Real Madrid. The decision has already been made: there will be no loan in January if the current conditions are maintained.

‘In return, the coach has promised him more minutes in the next few matches, especially in matches where the team needs to score.’

Xabi Alonso call on Gonzalo Garcia is sensible

E-Noticies is a Catalan publication, so the report about Alonso and Garcia must be treated with a bit of caution.

However, unlike many speculative reports from the Catalan media that often try to stir trouble at Real Madrid, like one that claimed that Los Blancos are not happy with manager Xabi Alonso, this particular one does have some merit.

As things stand, Kylian Mbappe, Garcia and Endrick as the three recognised strikers in the Madrid squad.

Mbappe is the number one striker at the Santiago Bernabeu and plays when he is fit and available, with Alonso preferring Garcia to Endrick to be the second choice.

As reported by the likes of Fabrizio Romano and The Athletic, Endrick is set to join Lyon on loan from Real Madrid in the January transfer window.

While Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo have played as a centre-forward in their careers, both prefer to operate on the left wing.

Rodrygo’s future at Madrid is also in doubt, with Alonso using him to push Vinicius Junior to step up his game.

Madrid should not let Garcia leave in the middle of the season and deplete their squad.

Garcia showed at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the summer that he can lead the line for Madrid.

Los Blancos could be in need of the young striker in the second half of the season when they are competing for LaLiga and Champions League glory, especially if Mbappe suffers an injury.

However, at Madrid, the manager hardly ever gets the final say, and it will be interesting to see if what Los Blancos should Leeds make a big offer for Garcia.

Latest Real Madrid transfer news: Man Utd offer, Liverpool raid