The defender, who has moved to the YouFirst agency — the same firm that represents fellow La Fábrica graduates Thiago Pitarch, Jacobo Ortega, and Ciria — has drawn interest from Ajax, Porto, Bayer Leverkusen, and several LaLiga clubs. His preference is to be promoted into Real Madrid's first-team squad. If that does not happen, he will seek a move.
The clause embedded in his deal is the key mechanism. If Real Madrid do not register Fortea with the first team ahead of the 2026-27 season, he can accept a loan offer from any club competing at a higher level than Castilla — with no right of veto from the club.
That clause was inserted as part of a contract extension signed last year that runs until 2028. At the time, AC Milan had arrived at Valdebebas with a €5 million offer for 50 per cent of Fortea's rights and a substantial wage for his age. Real Madrid responded by matching the financial terms and retaining him — but the price was the clause, which effectively gives Fortea a guaranteed exit route if promotion to the senior squad does not materialise.
Fortea has been a consistent presence in Álvaro Arbeloa's Castilla setup and has trained regularly with the senior squad, though he has yet to appear in a LaLiga fixture.
Real Madrid are expected to allow several Castilla players to leave this summer. The question is whether Fortea will be on that list by choice — or whether the club moves first to hand him a senior role before the window opens.