Players from current AC Milan, Tottenham and Como are among those who have clauses in their contracts giving Real Madrid an option to re-sign them.
While Real Madrid have a strong reputation for nurturing young talent, not all of their young stars achieve long-term success. In recent years, however, they have adopted a strategy to safeguard their investments by including a buy-back clause when selling their most promising players.
We have conducted a review of some former players of this club and have identified five individuals who still have an active buy-back clause in their contracts.
Nico Paz
Real Madrid sold Paz during the summer for approximately £5 million after Como expressed interest in acquiring the player.
Los Blancos intelligently structured the agreement, including a 50% resale clause and a buy-back option that can be invoked in the summer.
Under the management of Cesc Fabregas at Como, Paz has shown significant improvement. The dynamic attacking midfielder has already scored or assisted eight goals in Serie A and is currently tallying a goal or assist every 183.9 minutes on average.
It's no surprise that many top European clubs are taking a close look at this young player, thanks to his exceptional skills.
According to reports in Italy, Inter are 'crazy' about Paz, although they are likely to have to engage in negotiations with Real Madrid in the summer as the Spanish giants are expected to exercise their buy-back option.
Madrid only needs to pay £7.5 million to bring Paz back to Spain – a mere fraction of his current market worth.
Miguel Gutierrez
Another player Madrid could consider re-signing is Gutierrez, who has been progressing well since joining Girona in 2022.
The talented young left-back only made ten senior appearances for the team, yet the club had high hopes for his future when they chose to release him.
Just moments before the transfer became official, the club issued a buy-back clause into his contract with Girona, along with a 50% revenue-sharing provision on any future transfer.
The 23-year-old has been playing well lately, with 14 goal-related contributions in La Liga over the past 18 months.
Manchester United have taken notice of the 23-year-old, who has become a "firm" target for Ruben Amorim.
Even if Madrid do not decide to re-sign Günter or Guti, they will be entitled to a considerable sum of money because of the 50% sell-on clause in his contract.
Alex Jimenez
Although Jimenez never played for Madrid's senior team, the club did include a provision in his transfer contract when they sold him to AC Milan that allows them to purchase him back.
He initially joined the Italian side on loan for the 2023-24 season, before making the move permanent the following season.
In total, the 19-year-old has made 13 senior appearances for Milan, but he is predominantly playing for their U23 side in Serie C this season.
Madrid have the option to re-sign him for $9.7 million in 2025, but that figure will increase to $12.8 million if triggered in 2026.
However, according to reports from Italy, Milan wish to reassess the conditions of Jimenez's contract, as they want to eliminate Real Madrid's option to reacquire him.
Sergio Reguilon
After selling the right-back to Tottenham in 2020, Real Madrid placed a buy-back option worth approximately $35.17 million.
This player played a key role in the club's first two seasons in London, but has since experienced a decline in playing time, and for the past four years, most of his time has been spent playing on loan elsewhere.
After loan stints with Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Brentford, he is now back at Tottenham, having made five appearances this season.
There is no sign of Real Madrid returning to pursue him anytime in the near future.
Javi Sanchez
Sanchez joined the Madrid academy at the age of eight and went on to make five senior appearances for the club before he was sold in 2020.
While the Spanish centre-half never achieved major success at the Santiago Bernabeu, he has done well for himself since joining Real Valladolid.
The 27-year-old has amassed over 100 matches for the team in the Spanish top division who he leads as captain.
The clause to buy back Madrid's player has been included, nonetheless they have not even come close to exercising it.