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Real Madrid sign Asier Illarramendi in €38m deal

By on July 12, 2013

Real Madrid have agreed to pay Asier Illarramendi’s €38 million buy out clause as they sign the 23-year-old prodigy from Real Sociedad. Illarramendi, seen as a replacement for the aging Xabi Alonso, will become Real’s newest young signing on what Los Blancos announced was a six-year contract.

Sociedad and Madrid had been negotiating a fee for Illarramendi for days until Los Galacticos informed the Spanish football association they would pay the Spaniard’s hefty buy-out clause.

Madrid will officially present the deep-lying playmaker as their new midfielder on Saturday only a few days after manager Carlo Ancelotti reportedly said he was keen to sign the former Spain Under-21 starlet, who has spent his entire youth and professional career at Sociedad. Breaking into the Spanish club’s squad in the 2011/12 season, Illarramendi exploded onto many top clubs’ radar’s after playing a key role in Sociedad’s surprise fourth place finish last season, making 34 appearances, and featuring in every game during Spain’s successful European Under-21 Championship campaign last June.

He will become Real’s fourth signing this summer, moving to the Bernabeu after Isco, Dani Carvajal, and Casemiro as Ancelotti and his new assistant manager Zinedine Zidane believe he is a worthy replacement for Xabi Alonso. Surprisingly the decision to move away from Sociedad was hard for Illarramendi, and announced the move in a n emotional press conference.

“I thought long and hard with the people around me, and I came to the conclusion that it was a unique offer and opportunity, one I couldn’t refuse,” the 23-yeaar-old said.

“It hasn’t been an easy decision, it has been very difficult for me to decide because Real Sociedad have given me so much,” he said.

“I was on holiday when we started to hear about the interest from Real Madrid. There were contacts, we mulled it over and came to the conclusion that it was an offer we couldn’t refuse. It’s a unique opportunity.

“I will give my all in all the training sessions, and if I play I will give my all then, too. I love Sociedad, but a decision had to be taken – and, of course, Real Madrid excites me too.”

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.