Real Madrid faces an intense summer in the offices, with their sights set on strengthening a squad that, despite recent successes, seeks to keep competing at the highest level in Europe and worldwide. The entity presided over by Florentino Pérez has made strategic moves, securing the arrivals of names like Huijsen and Alexander-Arnold, as well as betting on Xabi Alonso for the bench. However, a question mark still lingered on the horizon: the addition of a reliable left-back to face the Club World Cup.
Expectations were high, especially after such a dark season and given the demands of the schedule. The white club needed to complete their defense before the Club World Cup, but negotiations in the market don't always align with the timelines set by clubs.
the Carreras case: the last pending piece
In recent weeks, Real Madrid's board had intensified efforts to finalize the signing of Álvaro Carreras, a young full-back who has stood out at Benfica and represents one of the most promising projects in European soccer. The interest in Carreras isn't new: his versatility and offensive ability make him a highly valued profile for Xabi Alonso on the left flank, thinking of a squad that will face the highest level of challenges.
Despite a total agreement with the player and a shared desire to move forward, Benfica has put an unexpected situation on the table: Carreras is registered with the Portuguese club for the Club World Cup and, according to the regulations, he can't be registered by another team for this competition. As Josep Pedrerol explained on El Chiringuito, the Lisbon side has chosen to ensure the full-back's presence at the international event, thus securing one of their most valuable assets.
"Álvaro Carreras was already registered with Benfica and he can't be registered twice. The World Cup said "pay if you want the clause, but you play the World Cup with me"," Pedrerol emphasized, adding that everything is agreed with the footballer and that Florentino Pérez keeps to the planned roadmap: the signing will be completed after the tournament, with a €50 million clause on the horizon.
Therefore, the signing of Álvaro Carreras, if nothing goes wrong, will happen. But Real Madrid won't be able to count on him for the Club World Cup, so they won't pay the clause until the Lisbon team is eliminated from this new competition. Ferland Mendy and Fran García will be the contenders to play at left-back.