Arianna Caruso join Real Madrid in a record transfer: more than €600,000 for the first Italian in Blanco
At 26, Arianna Caruso leave Bayern Munich after six trophies and sign for Real Madrid until 2030: it is the most expensive transfer ever for an Italian woman footballer.
Arianna Caruso is a new Real Madrid player. The Italy midfielder has left Bayern Munich and signed a four-year contract until 2030, becoming the first Italian female footballer in the history of the Spanish club.
It is a historic transfer financially too. According to reports, Real have invested more than €600,000 plus bonuses, setting a new record for Italian women's football: never before had an Italian female footballer been at the centre of a deal of this scale.
A career in the elite of European football
Real Madrid are backing a 26-year-old at the peak of her footballing powers. Caruso arrives after a season and a half at Bayern Munich, where she played plenty of minutes and won six trophies: two Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokals and two German Super Cups.
There, she added international experience to an already successful career and also helped Bayern reach the semi-finals of the 2025/26 Women's Champions League. Before that, she had already made history with Juventus Women: 237 appearances and 60 goals, the all-time appearance record in a Juventus shirt, and 12 trophies, including five Serie A titles, three Coppa Italia trophies and four Super Cups.
The first Italian in the history of Los Blancos
In Madrid, the task is different. Real Madrid Women, founded in 2020, have quickly climbed to the top of Spanish and European football but are still chasing the first major trophy in their history. Under contract until 2030, Caruso arrives to add experience, quality and leadership to a project determined to launch its first winning cycle.
That move also comes on the eve of a decisive phase for Italy. With 72 caps and 19 goals, Caruso is one of the key figures for Italy, fresh from the historic EURO 2025 semi-final, and will be among the reference points for the Azzurre in the play-offs which, from October, will offer a place at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
Now the first Italian at Real Madrid, she arrives on a record transfer and a four-year contract. The Spanish club have chosen to invest in a player in the prime of her career, one who has already shown she knows how to win in Italy and in Europe.
