Real Madrid are set to trigger the release clause in Rayo Vallecano defender Fran Garcia’s contract, which would see the Spanish left-back re-sign for the defending La Liga champions.
Fran Garcia, who is a Real Madrid academy graduate, currently plies his trade for Rayo Vallecano, where he is a regular starter. German club Bayer Leverkusen are interested in signing the 23-year-old and are ready to trigger the €10m release clause in his contract.
Fran Garcia initially joined Rayo Vallecano on loan from Real Madrid in the 2020/21 season. Rayo Vallecano then signed Fran Garcia from Real Madrid on a four-year contract in the summer transfer window of 2021.
Real Madrid, however, have the right to first refusal on the player if Rayo Vallecano decides to sell Garcia. That meant Real Madrid had a decision to make when Bayer Leverkusen were ready to trigger the release clause in Garcia’s contract.
Real Madrid set to activate €10m release clause in Rayo Vallecano defender Fran Garcia’s contract
The Athletic report that Real Madrid are set to activate the buy option in Fran Garcia’s contract. While his release clause stands at €10m, Real Madrid will effectively only have to pay €5m as they will receive 50% of the transfer fee for the player.
Fran Garcia is a player Real Madrid were considering adding to their squad in the next summer. Bayer Leverkusen’s interest in the player forced Real Madrid to make a decision earlier than they might have hoped.
However, Real Madrid appears to have decided to re-sign the player, who has been impressive for Rayo Vallecano. However, The Athletic also reports that Garcia is likely to stay at Rayo Vallecano on loan from Real Madrid until the end of the season.
Since signing for Rayo Vallecano, Fran Garcia has made 80 appearances for the club across all competitions. In his first season at Rayo Vallecano, when he was on loan from Real Madrid, he helped his current employers secure promotion to La Liga. He made 43 appearances for Rayo Vallecano in that 2020/21 season.
In the 21/22 season, Garcia made 39 appearances for Rayo Vallecano, 34 of those coming in La Liga. He has so far made 18 appearances for Rayo Vallecano in the ongoing 22/23 campaign.
Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano sits ninth in the La Liga points table with 26 points from 18 matches.
