Sports Illustrated FC
·15 de julho de 2025
How Much Money Man Utd Get From Alvaro Carreras’s Move to Real Madrid

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Yahoo sportsSports Illustrated FC
·15 de julho de 2025
Manchester United’s transfer kitty for the summer is set to be boosted by Real Madrid’s agreement to reunite with former academy graduate Álvaro Carreras.
The Benfica left-back has long been linked with a return to Madrid, although Man Utd themselves were also reportedly interested in a reunion. The 22-year-old has spent the previous 18 months in Portugal after initially joining on loan.
Carreras’ rise has thus been swift, and the Spaniard will be expected to compete alongside Ferland Mendy and Fran García for minutes down Xabi Alonso’s left flank next season and beyond.
Man Utd’s decision to part ways with Carreras for a mere £5 million ($6.7 million) proved to be one of several notable transfer blunders the Red Devils have committed in recent years. However, his big-money return to Madrid means they won’t go without.
Álvaro Carreras never got a chance at Man Utd. / IMAGO/PA Images
United acquired Carreras from Madrid in 2020, but the dynamic left-back never appeared for the first team. He was named the club’s U23 Player of the Year in 2022 before he joined Preston North End and Granada on loan.
Carreras’ permanent departure was complete in 2024, but Man Utd included buy-back and sell-on clauses in the deal with Benfica.
In one of his updates regarding the 22-year-old’s move to Madrid, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the Red Devils would not be activating Carreras’ buy-back clause, which was believed to be worth £17 million ($22.9 million).
They will, however, earn 20% of the £43.4 million ($58.5 million) release clause triggered by Los Blancos. That equates to roughly £8.68 million ($11.7 million). United have already earned a healthy sum from Anthony Elanga’s £52 million ($72.1 million) switch from Nottingham Forest to Newcastle United, and Carreras’ reunion in the Spanish capital may further aid their spending power for the rest of the summer.
However, these relatively small bonuses do not make up for the club’s inability to harbour the talent of two discarded starlets who have evolved into mightily valuable assets elsewhere.
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