Forward is not guaranteed minutes at Madrid and could now join his mentor in England
Fulham are working on a deal to sign Gonzalo Garcia from Real Madrid as Alvaro Arbeloa looks to make the striker his first signing since taking charge at Craven Cottage.
The 22-year-old forward is in talks over a move to west London after attracting interest from several clubs across Europe. Arbeloa, appointed as Fulham’s head coach earlier this month after leaving Real Madrid, is regarded as Garcia’s football mentor and has been closely involved in the discussions.
Garcia’s arrival would give Fulham another option in attack following the departure of Raul Jimenez, whose contract expired this summer. The club also had to cope without Rodrigo Muniz for 20 matches last season because of muscular injuries, including a hamstring problem that required surgery.
Madrid are expected to include clauses that allowed them to retain control over Garcia’s future if a transfer is completed.
The striker’s departure had been planned for several months, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. That process was delayed after Jose Mourinho replaced Arbeloa as Madrid head coach, the Portuguese deciding to assess Garcia during pre-season.
Mourinho was impressed by the Spain international but could not promise him a leading role next season, leaving the final decision over his future to the player.
Garcia came through Madrid’s academy and made his senior debut under Carlo Ancelotti in November 2023. He has since made 51 first-team appearances, scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists.
His breakthrough came during Madrid’s run to the Club World Cup semi-finals last summer, when he finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with four goals. His form earned him a new contract until 2030 but opportunities remained limited last season as he started only nine La Liga matches, given that Kylian Mbappe was the club’s first-choice striker. Garcia scored eight goals in 39 appearances across all competitions.
The forward has also made his senior debut for Spain, coming off the bench in a friendly against Iraq in June, but was not included in Luis de la Fuente’s squad for this summer’s World Cup.
Fulham have yet to make a new signing this summer, apart from completing Jonah Kusi-Asare’s permanent transfer after his loan spell from Bayern Munich.
