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Real Madrid Smash Own Record Transfer Record With Incredible Summer

Los Blancos’ academy has helped the club achieve a record total.
Florentino Pérez has overseen a summer of lucrative sales.
Florentino Pérez has overseen a summer of lucrative sales. | Angel Perez Meca/Europa Press via Getty Images

With the double sale of Gonzalo García and César Palacios to Fulham, Real Madrid have now reached €189 million ($218 million) in revenue from player sales this summer—a new club record.

This summer has been one of change for Real Madrid after two barrens seasons without a trophy. Re-elected club president Florentino Pérez appointed José Mourinho as manager for a second time, while the first team has undergone a makeover with six new signings so far: Bernardo Silva, Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konaté, Denzel Dumfries, Carlos Espí and most recently, Yan Diomande.

The club was also in negotiations for World Cup-winning captain and Golden Ball winner Rodri, but recent reports tell of a Barcelona hijack. Beyond that, there may also be room for one more center back in Mourinho’s new-look roster before the transfer deadline passes on Sept. 1.

However, while the flurry of incoming players has generated excitement, Madrid have quietly been breaking records with their outgoings.

AS reports that the figure of €189 million reached through direct player sales and sell-on clauses this summer is a transfer window record for the club—with more revenue expected in the coming weeks.


Transfer Fees Received Through Player Sales—Summer 2026

Víctor Muñoz
Real Madrid cashed in on former player Víctor Muñoz’s Liverpool move. | Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Player

Signed By

Fee Received

Nico Paz

Como

€60 million

Gonzalo García

Fulham

€40 million

Víctor Muñoz

Liverpool (from Osasuna)

€20.5 million

Mario Gila

AC Milan (from Lazio)

€15 million

Álvaro Rodríguez

Bournemouth (from Elche)

€12.5 million

Alex Jimenez

Bournemouth (from AC Milan)

€12.5 million

César Palacios

Fulham

€10 million

Víctor Valdepeñas

Fiorentina

€8 million

Fran García

Real Betis

€4 million

Mario Martín

Getafe

€3.5 million

Fran González

Sevilla

€3 million


García’s €40 million ($46 million) move to Fulham headlines the business, while the club has also made over a €100 million ($115 million) from sell-on clauses in deals for former academy stars like Álvaro Rodríguez and Víctor Muñoz, plus the re-negotiation of Nico Paz’s rights at Serie A club Como.

AS’s report claims that the total from this summer far surpasses the previous best of 2019, when Madrid generated €136.5 million ($157.5 million) from the moves of Mateo Kovačić, Marcos Llorente, Theo Hernández, Raúl De Tomás and more.

The incoming revenue has helped the club pay out on transfers in this window, while helping create headroom for more deals.


La Fábrica Flourishing

Thiago Pitarch
Thiago Pitarch is wanted by Fulham. | Diego Souto/Getty Images

Real Madrid have established themselves as market leaders in developing talent in recent years, with the steady stream of players from La Fábrica now key part of a revenue-generating strategy.

Amazingly the total of close to €200 million ($230 million) in player sales this summer has been achieved exclusively through former academy stars. Thiago Pitarch—who is wanted by Fulham—along with Jacobo Ortega and Sergio Arribas are three more homegrown players who could bring additional funds to the club with summer switches.

According to Spanish journalist José Luis Sánchez, Madrid have generated a staggering €440 million ($506 million) from the sale of youth players over the last six seasons, while Cadena Ser claim that Real Madrid's earnings from selling academy graduates is now over €500 million ($577 million) since 2005—nearly €200 million of which has come from this summer alone.

By comparison, Barcelona are said to have raised €256 million ($295 million) in the last two decades, while Atlético de Madrid have generated around €400 million ($461 million).


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Andrew Headspeath
ANDREW HEADSPEATH

Andy Headspeath is a Real Madrid correspondent for Sports Illustrated FC. Originally from the UK, the weather, culture and soccer lured him to Spain over a decade ago where he lives with his wife, son and two untrainable dogs. A player of unspeakably limited talents and only one fully functional knee, he has more than a decade's experience in a wide variety of editorial roles within sports media, from match reporting to in-depth feature writing and interviews. He specializes in soccer history and culture, as well as—of course—La Liga.