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- Los Blancos strike agreement with Benfica
- Carreras joins on six-year contract
- Defender set to return to Madrid five years later
The two clubs began negotiating earlier in the summer but talks were postponed until after the Club World Cup as Benfica president Rui Costa refused to accept a lower offer from Madrid chief Florentino Perez for the 22-year-old full-back.
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Carreras first joined Madrid when he was 14, from Deportivo La Coruna. He left to join Manchester United in 2020 although he never made a senior appearance for the Red Devils. After an unsuccessful loan spell at Granada, the player’s career finally took off when he moved to Benfica, first on loan and then permanently after signing a contract in 2024.
A club statement read: “Real Madrid CF and Sport Lisboa e Benfica have reached an agreement for the transfer of Álvaro Carreras, who remains tied to our club for the next six seasons, until June 30, 2031. Álvaro Carreras trained at Real Madrid’s youth academy, where he played between 2017 and 2020 in the cadet and youth categories. He joined Benfica from Manchester United after being named the English club’s U23 player of the 2021-22 season. With Benfica, he won the Portuguese League Cup this year. Álvaro Carreras’ presentation will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, at 1:00 p.m., at Real Madrid City.”
Madrid hoped to sign Carreras in time for the Club World Cup but could not make the deal happen due to Rui Costa’s reluctance to accept any offer lower than the player’s €50m (£43m/$58m) release clause.
Carreras is coach Xabi Alonso’s fourth signing of the summer after Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth, Franco Mastantuono from River Plate and Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool. Los Blancos begin their La Liga campaign next month against Osasuna.
