Real Madrid Club World Cup star ‘emerging as a target’

Brighton & Hove Albion have reportedly identified Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia as a transfer target ahead of the January window.

The 21-year-old rose to prominence under new head coach Xabi Alonso at the Club World Cup in the summer after scoring 25 goals for the club’s Castilla B team last season.

Garcia found the net four times and registered one assist across six appearances at the newly-expanded tournament held in the United States, helping Los Blancos progress to the semi-finals.

The academy graduate scored against Al-Hilal, Red Bull Salzburg, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund before Real Madrid suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Since then, Garcia has found first-team opportunities hard to come by, starting in only one of Real Madrid’s opening 12 La Liga matches in the 2025-26 campaign.

Brighton among clubs keen to sign Garcia from Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Brahim Diaz and new recruit Franco Mastantuono have all been preferred in attacking roles, forcing Garcia to predominantly provide support from the substitutes’ bench.

Garcia’s situation at the Bernabeu is understood to have alerted a number of clubs in Europe, with the Daily Mail claiming that the forward is now ’emerging as a target’ for Brighton.

The report adds that the Seagulls are one English club to make soundings about whether Garcia could be available in January, should Real Madrid open the door to a temporary departure.

It is claimed that both Leeds United and Sunderland expressed an interest in Garcia during the summer window, but other teams, including Brighton, are now said to admire the Spain Under-21 international.

Could Garcia secure temporary move away from Real Madrid?  

Garcia was recently asked about his future in the Spanish capital, and he told Marca: “My only option has always been to stay at Real Madrid. For me, it’s a dream to be part of the first team, and for now, I’m very happy and content with the decision I made.

“We’re talking about the best club in the world, and the competition is going to be fierce, because the best in the world are always here, but for me, having spent so many years in the youth academy and having been a Real Madrid fan since I was a kid, it’s a true dream to be part of the first team, and I don’t regret a single thing.”

Garcia’s future may depend on whether any of Real Madrid’s forward options sustain a long-term injury before the New Year, while Los Blancos are also expected to weigh up whether a loan departure would be beneficial for his development in the short term.

Brighton have cultivated a reputation for developing a plethora of highly-rated young players in recent years and they integrated two teenage forwards into their first-team squad over the summer: January signing Stefanos Tzimas, 19, and Charalampos Kostoulas, 18, who was signed in July.

Both players have been gradually eased into Fabian Hurzeler’s plans so far this season, with 34-year-old Danny Welbeck currently considered as the Seagulls’ first-choice striker.

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