Mascarell: Real Madrid youth product signs for Schalke

Omar Mascarell has joined Schalke 04 on a four-year contract, it was announced last night. The Real Madrid youth product moves from fellow Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt for a 10m-euro fee after passing a medical yesterday morning.

Real Madrid receive 6m euros and get first refusal

Having included a buy-back option in the sale of Mascarell to Eintracht in 2016, Real had confirmed that they would be triggering the clause this summer. However, they finally reached a deal with Frankfurt whereby the Germans receive the 4m-euro figure that Los Blancos would have had to pay to re-purchase the midfielder, while the remaining 6m goes to the European champions.

In addition, Schalke have agreed to give Real first refusal on Mascarell - meaning that they cannot sell the 25-year-old without also offering him to the LaLiga giants - and a percentage of any future transfer fee should he be bought by another club.

Mascarell decides against Real Madrid return

Real had wanted Mascarell to return to Madrid and do pre-season under new head coach Julen Lopetegui with a view to earning himself a place in next season's squad. However, the player was acutely of aware of the difficulty of forcing his way into Lopetegui's plans, and felt he would be left with fewer options elsewhere if he went back to Spain only to be deemed surplus to requirements come August.

If he does re-sign for the Bernabéu club, he wants to do so with a prominent first-team role to play, and he was not confident this would be the case right now.

Mascarell joins Schalke having impressed during his two years at Eintracht - with his displays at the Commerzbank-Arena also attracting the interest of German champions Bayern Munich - and has been persuaded to go to Gelsenkirchen by the persistence with which the club pursued his signature, and the prospect of Champions League football next term.