Real Madrid player completes 'historic' transfer with Chelsea now on red alert

One of Real Madrid's top talents has completed a transfer away from the club in the closing weeks of the transfer window - and has made history in the process.

Much of Los Blancos' focus during the summer has been on supporting returning manager Jose Mourinho with new signings, particularly in adding more experience to the squad.

Marc Cucurella and Bernardo Silva have been among the players to arrive, from Chelsea and Manchester City respectively, while Yan Diomande has signed from RB Leipzig for a club-record fee of €135 million.

READ MORE: Why Marc Cucurella's every touch was booed during Real Madrid debut

But the club have also been working on outgoings too, with Castilla graduate Gonzalo Garcia joining Premier League side Fulham for a fee of around £34 million.

They also agreed a deal of around £8.5 million to sell fellow former academy star Cesar Palacios to Fulham, with the pair now working under their ex-Castilla head coach Alvaro Arbeloa at Craven Cottage.

There are exclusive buy-back clauses in both deals, meaning Real have the option to bring both players back to the club starting from next summer if they wish.

It is a policy that Real usually put in place when selling their academy talents, both to allow them to get more game time elsewhere and then, if the move is successful, to then re-sign them to either play a role in the first team or to sell on at a later date for a higher fee.

Real Madrid player leaves club in 'historic' transfer

They have gone down a slightly different route with their latest academy selling, with 20-year-old winger Jacobo Ortega joining Ligue 1 side Strasbourg for €10 million and 70 per cent of his rights.

The structure of the deal means Real will receive 30 per cent of any future sale of the Spain youth international.

Ortega represented Real Madrid's B team between 2024 and 2026, meaning that, as per AS, the transfer makes history as the largest fee Real have ever received for a player who hasn't debuted for the senior squad.

Chelsea's majority owners, BlueCo, are in control at Strasbourg, meaning the Blues may well be keeping a close eye on his progress in France in case of a future move.

Chelsea have signed midfielder/left-back Valentin Barco from Strasbourg this summer, having reached an agreement to sign striker Emmanuel Emegha at the beginning of this transfer window last year.

Centre-back Aaron Anselmino and striker David Datro Fofana have gone in the other direction on loan.

Barco signed for fellow Premier League side Brighton in January but only made seven appearances before being moved to Sevilla on loan and then Strasbourg on a permanent basis.

His lack of physicality was reportedly one of the reasons behind the Seagulls deciding to move him on, and it remains to be seen whether that area of the 22-year-old's game has improved sufficiently two years on.