The signing of Álvaro Carreras by Real Madrid, which seemed to be on track, will not go ahead after all, and the player will play in the Club World Cup with his current club, which has refused to negotiate his release. The deal was complicated, as it was not enough to pay the release clause because the club had the right to keep him for the tournament, and the agreement has been broken.
The first season of the Carreras soap opera comes to an end
The signing of Álvaro Carreras has been one of the soap operas of this early transfer window. The Real Madrid board has made every effort to sign the player so that he could play in the Club World Cup, but negotiations with Benfica have not been successful.
Real Madrid is left without one of its most desired and necessary reinforcements. Fran García has not been able to demonstrate the level required of a Real Madrid player, and Mendy, who is rushing his recovery to be fit for the World Cup, will be far from his best.
This brings to an end the first season of a soap opera that will have a second part. Real Madrid, although unable to sign the player immediately, still seems willing to bring in the full-back for next season, so after the Club World Cup there will be a new season.
Real Madrid will seek to sign him for next season
Álvaro Carreras remains a priority for Real Madrid. The left-back is the club’s chosen player and presumably, they will be able to sign him once the World Cup is over. However, given the situation in recent weeks, Real Madrid could look to Manchester United to sign him: the English team has an option to buy back the player, which it could exercise for much less than the clause, and then negotiate a transfer with Real Madrid in which both parties would come out a winner. The Whites wanted to avoid this option, but given how negotiations have unfolded in recent weeks and the Portuguese club’s refusal, they could seek this new avenue.
Disagreements in the negotiations
Real Madrid could have signed Carreras if it had paid the full release clause, but for some reason, the club has preferred not to do so and to postpone the signing. The high expenditure incurred by the club could be one of the reasons for not making the mandatory one-off payment to release the player. The club could have tried other avenues, such as paying the clause in installments, but this scenario would not have been accepted by the Portuguese club, which wants to have Carreras available for the World Cup.
There is no provision in FIFA regulations stating that if Real Madrid had paid the clause in full and in a single payment, it would not have been able to register the player. Therefore, it is understood that Real Madrid did not want to pay the clause.
For its part, Benfica has already informed FIFA of its final squad for the Club World Cup, a list that could be altered until tomorrow and which includes Álvaro Carreras. If his registration is confirmed, it would close the door on any possibility of him playing in the World Cup with Real Madrid, even if he were registered in the second window for the tournament, as a player cannot participate with two different clubs.
The signing of Álvaro Carreras for Real Madrid in the Club World Cup is now off. The Whites will have to make do with Mendy and Fran García, and look to sign the former youth player for next season. This brings an end to the first drama of the transfer window, but in a month’s time, a new chapter will begin in which the Whites will give it their all to sign the player.