Real Madrid have agreed a deal to sign striker Carlos Espi from Levante €25m.
Both clubs confirmed the transfer on Thursday after Madrid activated the release clause in his contract. The 21-year-old is set to commit his future to Madrid on a five-year deal, which will run until 2031.
Espi becomes Madrid’s latest signing in a busy summer window that has already brought Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, and Marc Cucurella to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Deals for Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez were mooted, although ultimately abandoned, but the club are still determined to strengthen more in forward areas.
A move for RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande is believed to be close to completion, while a deal with Manchester City to sign Rodri could also be struck after the club revealed the Spain midfielder will recover quickly from a minor surgery on a back injury.
💙❤️ Gracias por cada esfuerzo, por tu compromiso y por la ilusión con la que has defendido este escudo desde el primer día.
🙂 Nos sentimos muy orgullosos de haberte acompañado en tu crecimiento y de verte cumplir un nuevo reto profesional.
🐸 La familia granota te desea… pic.twitter.com/FHzYIXxs1B
— Levante UD (@LevanteUD) July 30, 2026
Who Is Madrid’s New Signing Espi?
Espi came through Levante’s academy after joining the club in 2022, before making his senior debut in February 2024.
He made his La Liga debut at the start of last season and impressed throughout the campaign, with 11 league goals in 25 matches. He last represented Spain in the U-21 level.
The deal with Levante was conclude after Madrid agreed a deal with Premier League club Fulham for Gonzalo Garcia to join Alvaro Arbeloa in England.
It is essentially a like-for-like replacement. Garcia left because he wanted regular first-team football and Madrid were unable to guarantee that. Espi is in a different stage of his career and was also cheap to acquire given his abilities.
The relatively modest cost of the transfer also appealed to Madrid. The club agreed a deal worth about €40m for Garcia to join Fulham, while retaining a right of first refusal and a 30% share of any future transfer. On the other hand, Espi cost €25m and has around the same rating as Garcia.
