Fulham have agreed two separate deals for Real Madrid youngsters Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios. The Cottagers will be forking out a combined €50 million for 70% rights of the two Spaniards, with Real Madrid holding a 30% sell-on clause and matching rights of any future bids.
What will this former ‘La Fabrica’ duo have in store for the Premier League next season?
Gonzalo Garcia (Real Madrid to Fulham FC- Transfer Fee: €40 million + 30% sell-on clause)
Gonzalo has been at Real Madrid since the age of 10, apart from a one-year stint in the Mallorca academy in 2018. The striker progressed through all the age groups before being promoted to Real Madrid Castilla in 2022. Gonzalo thrived throughout his time in Castilla and in the 2024/25 campaign scored an impressive 25 goals in 36 games, also providing four assists. This prolific season earned Gonzalo his first-team debut in the Copa del Rey, in which he scored an injury-time winner to prevent an upset against Leganés. Up next for Gonzalo was the 2025 Club World Cup. The combination of an ongoing striker crisis at the club and Gonzalo’s undeniable potential led to him leading the line for Los Blancos. The young striker grabbed this opportunity with both hands and showed on the global stage that he had what it takes to make it at the Spanish giants. Gonzalo scored four goals and provided one assist in six games.
Fast forward a year and it’s not been smooth sailing for the youngster, having been reduced to mainly a ‘super sub’ role over the last season due to Kylian Mbappe filling the number nine position. It’s always been incredibly hard for ‘La Fabrica’ graduates to make it as first team regulars, with Real Madrid prioritising ‘Galactico’ signings ahead of their own.
This is where Fulham have come in. Proposing the enticing offer of being the main man at a Premier League club, while also giving the opportunity to link up with last season’s Real Madrid manager and his former academy coach, Álvaro Arbeloa. Gonzalo has always guaranteed goals, and if Fulham can build quality around him, he can be a big problem for Premier League defenders next season.
Cesar Palacios (Real Madrid to Fulham FC – Transfer Fee: €10 million + 30% sell-on clause)
Palacios is the smaller deal of the two in terms of price, but this isn’t to say this young midfielder does not have bags of potential. Palacios joined Real Madrid’s academy in 2020, after coming through the youth system at his father’s former club, Numancia. He was promoted to Real Madrid Castilla in 2023, before suffering a cruciate ligament injury in the build-up to the 2024/25 season, keeping him out of action for 9 months. The youngster bounced back remarkably well and was awarded his first team debut in January of this year. Palacios is a silky attacking midfielder who has the intelligence and awareness to find that killer pass in the final third. He is a modern number ten in the way he is versatile enough to play in a deeper role, with the athleticism to be a box-to-box midfielder when needed, while also having played out wide as well.
This is a player Fulham fans should be very excited about seeing next season. A €10 million deal in the current market is a free hit, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Palacios triples in valuation over the next few seasons.
