Returning to Real Madrid is the target in the future for Chema Andrés, who has started a fresh chapter with VfB Stuttgart this season as he seeks to make his mark at senior level.
Chema joined Los Blancos from Levante as a 13-year-old and made 32 appearances for Real Madrid Castilla last season. He was also drafted into the first team a few times, playing twice as a substitute in La Liga and once in the Copa del Rey.
But choosing a clearer pathway to regular minutes seemed like the smart decision at this stage of the 20-year-old’s career and Stuttgart were the beneficiaries of a €3 million ($3.5 million) transfer in July.
Chema was made to wait for his Bundesliga debut, staying an unused substitute in Stuttgart’s defeat to Union Berlin, before coming off the bench against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Ironically, as a player likened to Manchester City and Spain defensive midfielder Rodri and therefore not known for scoring, Chema netted the only goal in a 1–0 win.
That was his first goal since an effort for Real Madrid C in 2023–24.
“I think it’s a bit too soon to talk about it. But obviously playing for Real Madrid is any player’s dream. I would like to return one day, but I’m taking it step by step,” Chema told Disidencia Deportiva on the subject of his longer-term future.
As the club often does with young players who leave for game time elsewhere, Madrid are believed to have negotiated a buyback clause in the deal that saw Chema sold to Stuttgart.
That amount has been reported in Germany as €13.5 million, still just a drop in the ocean for Los Blancos to trigger. The sale agreement is also said to include a sell-on clause entitling Madrid to 50% of future profit should Stuttgart cash in on Chema elsewhere.
Real Madrid have exercised buyback clauses in the past, most notably to re-sign Dani Carvajal from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013, watching the defender go on to become a Bernabéu legend. Álvaro Morata was also brought back from Juventus in 2016 and sold on for massive profit a year later.
The next buyback clause Madrid could trigger is the Argentina playmaker Nico Paz, available to re-sign from Como.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Summer Sale Compared to Rodri Reveals Desire to Return.