Brighton transfer 'significantly more complicated' – Club clearly have regrets

Real Madrid's path to re-signing academy product Chema Andrés is complicated by his strong start at Brighton, where he's now valued at €24m.

Chema Andrés joined Brighton from Stuttgart for €22m this summer and has settled remarkably well, complicating Real Madrid's hopes of bringing him back to the Bernabeu. Real Madrid sold their 50% stake in the midfielder for just €11m and no longer hold a buy-back option, meaning any future deal would require negotiating with Brighton directly. The Spanish club has been monitoring Andrés closely since losing out on Rodri to Barcelona, viewing him as the type of midfielder they need. While Andrés has expressed a desire to return to Madrid eventually, his rapid rise at Brighton and the club's reputation for commanding top prices for their players means a move back would now be significantly more costly and complicated than it would have been months ago.