Youngster Ortega sets Real Madrid youth system transfer record

Madrid, Aug 18 (IANS) Real Madrid’s youth system continues to give the club financial benefits with the confirmation of the sale of 19-year-old C-team player Jacobo Ortega to RC Strasbourg on Monday.

Ortega, who was the top scorer for Real Madrid in last season’s youth league, has cost Strasbourg 10 million euros (11.6 million U.S. dollars) for 70 percent of his rights, making him the most expensive sale for Real Madrid for a player who has never played in its first team.

“Real Madrid C.F. and RC Strasbourg Alsace have agreed to the transfer of our player Jacobo Ortega,” the Real Madrid website explained, adding, “he joined Real Madrid in 2018 at the age of 12 and has been part of our youth academy for eight seasons.”

Ortega has signed a five-year contract with Strasbourg, which has the same club owners (BlueCo) as Premier League outfit Chelsea, reports Xinhua.

Other youth team products have also brought income to Real Madrid this summer, with Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios bringing in around 50 million euros, while the club also earned around 20 million euros in sell-on rights from Victor Munoz’s move from Osasuna to Liverpool.

I always knew I would return to play in La Liga: Lee Kang-in

South Korean international Lee Kang-in on Monday explained why he decided to leave Paris Saint-Germain to join Atletico Madrid.

The former Valencia and Mallorca attacking midfielder is Atletico’s star signing of the summer so far and was officially presented to the press and fans at the Metropolitano Stadium.

“I knew what a great club was like since I was little,” said the 25-year-old Lee, who added that when the chance to return to Spain came up, “all I could think about was joining Atletico and winning titles.”

He began his career with Valencia and then shone at Mallorca before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.”Ever since I left Spain, I’ve often thought that at some point I wanted to return to play in Spain because it’s where I grew up, and I’m really looking forward to playing in La Liga again,” admitted Lee.

–IANS

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