Real Madrid have completed a €50m deal to sign left-back Alvaro Carreras from Benfica, five years after he left the Santiago Bernabeu on a free transfer.
Carreras spent three years in Madrid’s youth system before departing at the end of his contract in 2020, moving to Manchester United.
The Spaniard never made a senior appearance for the Red Devils and was loaned out to Preston North End, Granada and Benfica, eventually joining the Portuguese giants on a permanent deal last year.
He made 32 Primeira Liga appearances – 30 of them starts – as Bruno Lage’s team missed out on the title in 2024-25, finishing two points behind champions Sporting CP.
Carreras contributed to 11 clean sheets in the Portuguese top flight last term, with only four defenders participating in more, while he also attempted the fourth-most dribbles of any defender (69), completing 34 of those.
Carreras also helped the Lisbon giants top their group at the Club World Cup ahead of Bayern Munich, though they were eliminated in the round of 16 by eventual champions Chelsea.
#WelcomeCarreras pic.twitter.com/JYilQxDBma
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) July 14, 2025
On Monday, Madrid confirmed the return of the 22-year-old on a six-year-contract, with reports suggesting United will receive €7.6m (£6.6m) of the fee paid by Madrid due to a sell-on clause.
Carreras will be officially presented as a Madrid player on Tuesday, at a press conference alongside club president Florentino Perez.
He is Madrid’s fourth signing of the transfer window, after the arrivals of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and teenage winger Franco Mastantuono from River Plate.