REAL MADRID
Real Madrid: New youth-focused transfer strategy is working so far
Between the first team and the loanees, the players Madrid signed when they were 20 or younger are now worth €179.8 more than their initial price.
Real Madrid are starting to capitalise on the young talent they have invested in recently on the field... but also economically. Since they started to pay over the odds for the best young players in the world, the club have shifted their entire philosophy: grab the stars before they become stars.
Of the 25 players in the first team squad, along with Reinier and the 11 loanees, Madrid have 11 players who they signed when they were 20 or younger. In total, they paid €175.7 million to bring them to the club. According to Transfermarkt, their values is currently €355.5 million. If they were sold in the morning as this price, Madrid would bring in €179.8 million profit.
In some instances like Vinicius (€45 million) and Rodrygo (€50 million), Madrid make a big initial investment. Regardless, both are holding their own and are currently worth €50 million.
Madrid making solid investments
Marco Asensio deserves a special mention along with Odegaard and Valverde. The three players arrived for €3.5, €2.8 and €5 million respectively. Now they are worth €40, €50 and €60 million each. Madrid could profit close to €100 million on those signings. That number might be higher too given Asensio's value has dipped after his cruciate knee ligament injury during the summer. He was worth €90 million according to Transfermarkt in 2018.
Dani Ceballos, a player purchased for €15 million is worth €40 million along with Kubo, who was signed om a free and is now worth €15 million. Vallejo is a player whose value has increased too, if only slightly. He was signed for €5 million and is currently worth €7.5 million.
There are also players who are currently worth less than what they were signed for. Reinier was purchased for €30 million and is not worth €25 million and Brahim's value has dipped to €15 million. Real Madrid signed the attacker from Manchester City for €20 million. They are both young with the Brazilian having just arrived at the club. Once he makes it into the first team, that value should move up. Andriy Lunin's has also plummeted but he is at Real Oviedo where he is starting to win back his confidence after failed spells at Valladolid and Leganés.
The new philosophy has just kicked in and it might be too early to judge just yet. In the coming years, we will get a better look at how Madrid's market value looks as their young players start to develop properly. At the moment, it's going well.