Real Madrid have quietly secured one of the most intriguing additions of the summer transfer window, paying the €25 million ($29m) release clause to sign 21-year-old striker Carlos Espi from Levante.

Standing at 6ft 4in (194cm), Espi flew largely under the radar during the early part of last season, featuring in just five top-flight fixtures before January. However, the appointment of Portuguese manager Luis Castro in December sparked a dramatic turnaround. Espi scored 11 La Liga goals to lead the Valencia-based club to top-flight safety, finding the net in critical clashes against direct relegation rivals including Alaves, Girona, Real Oviedo, and Real Mallorca.

Rise Through the Ranks

Born into a working-class family in Tavernes de Valldigna, Espi joined Alzira before moving to Levante’s academy in 2022 following a significant growth spurt. After helping Levante secure promotion to La Liga in 2025 with six goals in 36 appearances, he overcame early-season adversity and injury to establish himself as the team’s premier target man.

“What stood out was his physique — his height and his frame,” said Levante academy director Joaqui Navarro. “At 16, to be over 1.9 metres tall for that position was very important. Although he was coordinated, there were still plenty of areas of his game that needed work, particularly his play with his back to goal.”

Levante president Pablo Sanchez praised the forward’s determination and character: “We were in a very bad situation, we had 10 points by the winter break. Our business model is to work through the academy. That is why we hired Castro. Espi’s emergence came from Castro’s decision to trust him. He scores goals, but above all, important goals.”

Secret Negotiations and the Mourinho Factor

Espi’s rapid development attracted interest across Europe, with Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion among several English, German, and Italian clubs pursuing him. He even earned inclusion in Luis de la Fuente’s preliminary Spain World Cup squad before the national team opted for experienced forward Borja Iglesias.

When Real Madrid formalized their interest, Espi’s decision was immediate. A pivotal phone call from manager Jose Mourinho outlined the young forward’s tactical role as a traditional ‘No 9’ option at the Santiago Bernabeu. The operation was facilitated by Gonzalo Garcia’s €40 million switch to Fulham, freeing space in the squad.

“Horrible, it has been horrible,” Espi’s father, Juanjo, told Spanish radio station Cope regarding the confidentiality of the deal. “Keeping it secret, not being able to talk about it — not even to my mother or to my brother, nobody.”

The €25 million transfer makes Espi the most expensive academy departure in Levante’s history, second overall only to Jefferson Lerma’s €30 million move to Bournemouth in 2018.

Carving Out a Role in Madrid

Espi enters a star-studded dressing room featuring Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Endrick, and blockbuster signing Yan Diomande. Real Madrid view his profile similarly to Joselu, who played a vital backup role during the club’s domestic and European triumphs two seasons ago.

The young striker has made an immediate impact, netting his first goal for the club with a clinical poacher’s finish in a 2-1 friendly victory over Ferencvaros in Budapest.

“Espi is special because of his ability to score from very few chances,” Navarro added. “Castro was already saying it last year: he has no ceiling. That kid will be a star.”