Beating Barcelona and Saudi offers: Real Madrid land a golden deal

Until 2030: Real Madrid's appeal settled the fierce battle

Real Madrid have ended the chase for one of Spanish football's brightest young prospects, striking a decisive agreement to sign him after seeing off fierce competition from Barcelona and Villarreal.

Sergio Martinez is the man in question. The 19-year-old has caught the eye of Spain's biggest clubs since breaking into Racing Santander's first team last season, when the club were still in the second division.

He had the chance to leave during the last winter transfer window. Instead, the player chose to stay until the end of the campaign, which ended with Racing promoted to LaLiga.

Now Martinez is shining in the top flight, netting in the 2-2 draw with Villarreal on the opening weekend of the season.

The allure of Real Madrid settles the decision

Real Madrid have reached an agreement to sign Racing Santander midfielder Sergio Martínez Montero on a contract running until 2030, according to Spanish newspaper "AS" on Saturday.

Martínez will initially join the ranks of Real Madrid Castilla, with the possibility of taking part in first-team training. The move gives him a chance to develop under the eyes of the coaching staff led by José Mourinho.

The midfielder had begun to feature with Racing's first team during the latter part of last season, playing 10 matches in the Spanish Second Division.

According to the newspaper, Real Madrid's appeal and the chance of breaking into the first team proved decisive in his decision.

Barcelona, Atlético and Villarreal: attempts to block the deal

"AS" revealed that over the past few days, Racing and the player received successive calls from clubs seeking to change his destination, among them Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal, alongside clubs from the English Premier League, the German Bundesliga and the Saudi League.

None of it shifted Martinez. He held firm to his decision to wear the Real Madrid shirt, despite the other offers on the table.

Real Madrid, for their part, never tried to activate the 3 million euro release clause in the player's contract. Instead they sought an agreement with Racing to avoid any tension during the negotiations and to protect the relationship with the club in the future.

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