Real Madrid has sold one of its young strikers to Udinese
By Ben Sundock
Real Madrid has made yet another sale this summer as they have decided to let youngster Cristo Gonzalez join Udinese on a five-year deal. The transfer move seems beneficial for both clubs and the player proving once again that president Florentino Perez is a genius club head.
After working his way up through the youth ranks with CD Tenerife, Cristo was looked at as a possible future star when he signed for Real Madrid just over two summers ago. And there was definitely progress in Cristo Gonzalez’s game and ability.
During the 2018/2019 season with the Castilla team, the 21-year-old Spanish forward bagged 20 goals and contributed nine assists over the course of 30 appearances. This was a huge improvement from his first season with Madrid as he managed just 11 goals and three assists in 35 appearances.
Despite the managerial carousel that was Real Madrid’s first-team this past season, the striker saw some playing time under Santiago Solari who had been impressed by Gonzalez while coaching the Castilla side.
Cristo made two appearances in the Copa del Rey in both legs against Leganés and even played a half against Real Betis in La Liga at the beginning of 2019.
But, the temptation of first-team football and a cushy long-term contract was enough to entice the forward.
According to Marca, the deal will only cost Udinese around €1.5 million but with a sell-on fee and a buy-back attached to the deal, Real Madrid is in essence giving the player to the Italian side on an extended loan. If he starts to impress with his play, the club can recall him at a moment’s notice.
Five Spanish clubs were in the market for Cristo’s signature, but Real Madrid wanted to send the player out of the country to protect itself from the sale coming back to hurt them.
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From what I have seen out of Cristo, he looks to be a good player with a lot of upside who needs to show he can play on the senior level. At a club like Udinese who finished 12th last season in Serie A, there is a good chance the former Castilla player gets playing time right away.
The club will be sure to keep a close eye on him and see if he develops into an impressive player. In that case, he will be recalled to compete with the likes of Mariano Diaz and Luka Jovic as the starting striker.