Real Madrid broke a pact that was more than a decade old when they moved to poach right-back Jesus Fortea from the Atletico Madrid academy at the age of 15. The two Madrid clubs had agreed not to sign each other’s players in the academy after a number of battles. Yet Los Blancos considered Fortea, tipped to be a generational right-back for Spanish football, worth the fallout.
More than two years on, Real Madrid have an injury crisis at the right-back spot, but the 17-year-old has remained far from first-team selection. Fortea did train with the first team after Dani Carvajal suffered a cruciate ligament injury, but after two weeks, Carlo Ancelotti and his staff decided that he would be better served by returning to the under-19s side, where he at times is used for Real Madrid C. According to The Athletic, Ancelotti and his staff were surprised by reports that he would remain with the senior squad.
Fortea was supposed to be spending much more of his time with Real Madrid Castilla this season than Real Madrid C, but due in part to injuries and Raul Gonzalez’s preferences, Fortea has not featured under him. There are doubts about his defensive abilities, despite his obvious offensive prowess. The teenage starlet is a Real Madrid fan, and Real Madrid are keen to hold onto him, but with contract talks looming, there are certainly some blunt conversations to be had.
The same outlet note that Fortea is not happy with his role, and neither his camp. Any offer to take him away from the club would have to be enticing and include guarantees about his development for the player, while Real Madrid would only sell him with a 50% sell-on fee. Contract talks are scheduled for the end of March, and could even include an intervention from General Director Jose Angel Sanchez.
All the same, Real Madrid will likely have to agree to a progression path for Fortea, giving his obvious talent more chances. At the end of March, Fortea will be 18 and able to sign a new long-term contract, but his current deal only lasts until 2026, meaning he will have plenty of negotiating power. In addition, it was reported in January that Serie A side Como, where former Castilla talent Nico Paz is excelling, also enquired about Fortea.
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