Official: Real Madrid defender joins Serie A heavyweights
Putting an end to weeks of speculation, Napoli have finally confirmed the signing of Rafa Marin.
Real Madrid, too, have finally issued an official statement, which reads, “Real Madrid CF and SSC Napoli have reached an agreement for the transfer of our player Rafa Marin.”
“Real Madrid wishes him and his family the best of luck in this new stage of his life,” the statement added.
Numbers behind the Rafa Marin deal
The young centre-back joins from Real Madrid, most likely for a fee of around €12 million. Los Blancos, though, have reportedly retained a buyback clause in the contract.
Rafa is proud to be one of us!
💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre | #ProudToBeNapoli | #WelcomeRafaMarín pic.twitter.com/htiFb7A9nD— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) July 10, 2024
As per reports, the European champions will be able to re-sign the defender for just €25 million in 2025. However, the value of the buyback clause could increase to €35 million in 2026.
Napoli, though, reportedly have the option to double the value of the buyback clause if they are willing to pay an additional €10 million.
In such a case, the total value of the transfer could reach €22 million – making Rafa Marin the most expensive sale of a Real Madrid player, who has actually yet to feature in a single game for the club.
Real Madrid, in any case, will continue to monitor Rafa Marin’s progress at Napoli quite closely, knowing he has the potential to become one of Spain’s best defenders.