Alvaro Carreras will not be able to play the Club World Cup with Real Madrid should an agreement with Benfica be reached, according to Spanish media.
Los Blancos have sought to get their business done early this summer as they will participate in the Club World Cup in the US. Real Madrid, now coached by Xabi Alonso, will look to bounce back from a disappointing season.
Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold have joined from Bournemouth and Liverpool, respectively, with Real Madrid reportedly shelling out €10 million to buy the latter out of his contract a month early.
However, the Spanish giants wanted to bring in a third new signing before Tuesday’s deadline in Alvaro Carrers from Benfica. Talks between the two clubs have been ongoing for a couple of weeks now, but a formal agreement has still not yet been found.
Carreras, for his part, is desperate to return to the club after previously spending time in Real Madrid’s academy. Personal terms are not an issue, but he will likely not play for Real Madrid at the Club World Cup even if the two clubs reach an agreement in the next 24 hours.
Carreras registered by Benfica
According to El Chiringuito and MARCA, Benfica have registered their squad for the Club World Cup and included Carreras, which the Spanish outlets claim now makes him ineligible to be registered by Real Madrid.
It is true that Carreras has flown out to the US with Benfica, but it is worth mentioning that the Lisbon giants have yet to submit their final squad list for the tournament, which will naturally only happen closer to the deadline.
This means that Real Madrid could technically still include Carreras on their provisional squad list should an agreement with Benfica be thrashed out before the window closes.
FIFA rules state: “Should two clubs wish to include the same player on their respective provisional list, the FIFA general secretariat shall decide for which club the player may be listed, after hearing all concerned parties.
“For the avoidance of doubt, no player may be on the final list of more than one club participating in the Competition, and no player may play matches for more than one club participating in the Competition.”
Ultimately, though, it seems highly unlikely that Carreras will be able to play for Real Madrid at the Club World Cup unless his expected €50m transfer goes through imminently.
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