Manuel Angel of Real Madrid
Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images
According to AS, Real Madrid and UD Almeria are close to reaching an agreement for the sale of midfielder Manuel Angel.
The 22-year-old from Seville will play for the La Liga HyperMotion team next season.
According to the report, the 22-year-old’s sale will see Real Madrid pocket €6 million in exchange for 50% of the midfielder’s rights, keeping with the trend that the club follow with academy players.
Operation close to completion
With only the final details of the negotiation remaining, Manuel Angel is expected to sign a five-year contract plus an optional sixth season with.
Real Madrid Castilla’s captain had been training separately during pre-season while waiting to find a new destination for his career.
Manuel Angel of Real Madrid
Manuel Angel on his way out. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
He will now join the long list of academy players through whom Real Madrid have generated more than €200 million in transfer income during this summer window.
Indeed, Manuel Angel will follow the likes of Cesar Palacios, Gonzalo Garcia, Fran Gonzalez, and Jacobo Ortega, among others to bid goodbye to his boyhood club this summer.
A highly-rated academy talent
The midfielder arrived at Valdebebas in 2018 after four seasons in Sevilla’s academy. After progressing through Real Madrid’s youth ranks, Manuel Angel truly broke through with the Juvenil A team.
He became the engine of Alvaro Arbeloa’s team that won a historic treble of Division de Honor, Copa del Rey and UEFA Youth League, alongside players such as Nico Paz, Gonzalo Garcia, Cesar Palacios and Jacobo Ramon.
Manuel Angel of Real Madrid
Real Madrid will receive €6 million. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Last season, he got the opportunity to play for the first team, making seven appearances. He made his debut in the Copa del Rey against Albacete, played four league matches and featured in the UEFA Champions League tie against Manchester City.
A Spain youth international, the midfielder will leave after three years with the reserve team.
Affectionately nicknamed Mami, he is an organising midfielder with excellent passing ability, vision, strong control of the game’s tempo and considerable tactical intelligence.
He could become a key piece in Almería’s midfield, while Real Madrid will continue to keep an eye on his progress.
Yan Diomande talks Mourinho, Drogba advice, Real Madrid pressure: ‘I am ready to die for Jose’
Yan Diomande of Real Madrid
Photo courtesy: Real Madrid official website
Real Madrid paid big money to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig this summer, bringing in the Ivory Coast winger for Jose Mourinho’s project.
Diomande is coming off an incredible season in the Bundesliga, with the 19-year-old impressing one and all with his skill and trickery.
All this prompted Los Blancos to pay close to €140 million to bring him to the Santiago Bernabeu.
The teenager is fully aware of the enormous expectations surrounding him after Madrid invested heavily in his signing.
Diomande: ‘Why will I be scared?’
In an exclusive interview with Sporty TV, Diomande insists that the transfer fee has given him confidence and not created additional pressure for him to perform.
“Real Madrid spent a lot of money on me. People are waiting to see me, but there is no pressure,” Diomande said.
“They spent a lot of money because they believe in me, why will I be scared? I’m not scared, I feel no pressure. I will do what I do, and God will do the rest.”
Yan Diomande of Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s most expensive signing. (Photo courtesy: Real Madrid official website)
Asked for a message to the supporters, the winger initially laughed and admitted: “I’m shy.”
“I will give everything for the club, they spent a lot of money on me,” he promised.
Drogba offered Mourinho warning
Diomande also revealed a recent conversation with fellow Ivorian Didier Drogba, who famously enjoyed a special relationship with Mourinho during their time together at Chelsea.
“Didier Drogba and I spoke some days ago,” Diomande explained.
“He told me: ‘Be careful, Mourinho is my dad. You have to work hard, but he’s a good guy.'”
Diomande already seems to understand exactly what Drogba meant.
“When you play for Jose Mourinho, you want to die for him. I am ready to do that,” he said.
Mourinho 5am call made an impression
The youngster recalled being surprised when he first spoke with Mourinho because the Portuguese coach addressed him in French.
More importantly, the timing of the conversation convinced Diomande how much Mourinho wanted him.
Yan Diomande, Real Madrid player
Ready to give his all for Mourinho. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)
“I think it was 5am in Portugal, he woke up to speak with me, so it means I was important,” Diomande explained.
And once Real Madrid entered the picture, there was little hesitation.
“When Madrid call, you will not say no.”
‘There is no bigger club than Real Madrid’
Diomande described Madrid’s approach as a dream moment.
“When Madrid called me it was like a dream because there is no bigger club than Real Madrid,” he said.
“I could not sleep, I couldn’t believe it. And here I am, super happy and proud,” he concluded.
Diomande’s affection for the Spanish club was already evident from his words, and he is determined to succeed.
Mourinho’s front line includes players like Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, apart from Diomande.
The much more experienced superstars should give the Ivory Coast winger a cushion to ease into life in the Spanish capital.
It remains to be seen how Mourinho plans to use Diomande and whether he can replicate his exploits in Madrid.