Real Madrid Set to Cash In on Shocking Payday from Ex-Star's Move

Real Madrid are poised to secure their biggest transfer income of the summer through a deal involving a player who hasn't featured for the team in nearly four years.

Miguel Gutiérrez became part of Madrid's youth system in September 2011 when he was just 10 years old. The attacking left-back made his first-team bow under Zinédine Zidane as a teenager, though he couldn't break into the established starting lineup.

Following a campaign spent largely on the bench during Carlo Ancelotti's second tenure at the helm, Gutiérrez made a permanent switch to Girona in 2022. Madrid protected their interests should their youth product reach his full potential by including a 50% sell-on provision in the €4 million ($4.6 million) deal. That strategic planning is about to pay dividends this summer.

Napoli are close to finalizing Gutiérrez's signing, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Serie A titleholders are prepared to pay over €18 million ($20.8 million), which means Madrid will receive more than €9 million ($10.4 million).

This windfall would mark the club's most lucrative departure of the current window. Indeed, only one player sale in the last three years has generated more revenue for Madrid than Gutiérrez will.

At one point, it appeared the Olympic champion might make his way back to Real. Given freedom to venture forward into attacking areas, Gutiérrez developed into one of La Liga's most dynamic left-backs at Girona. The 24-year-old contributed seven assists as the club achieved a historic third-place league position in 2023–24. Even amid a significant team-wide regression that saw Girona fall to 16th last season, Gutiérrez still provided five league assists.

Madrid chose to recall another academy product in Álvaro Carreras to provide competition on the left flank. Now Xabi Alonso finds himself with an abundance of fullback options. Carreras's return is likely to prompt Madrid to offload either Fran García or Ferland Mendy this summer. It remains unclear whether either sale will prove more lucrative than the Gutiérrez transaction.