Real Madrid have decided to wait another year before considering the returns of academy graduates Chema Andres and Jacobo Ramon, with Jose Mourinho agreeing to monitor the midfielders and defender closely during the 2026-27 season.
The club had offered Mourinho the opportunity to bring both players back this summer as part of plans to strengthen the two areas regarded as the weakest in the squad: midfield and defence. However, the Portuguese coach and Real Madrid reached an agreement to postpone any decision for a further year.
Real Madrid remain keen to keep the option of bringing the pair back to the Santiago Bernabeu. The club believes both players have the ability to perform at the highest level in Madrid, but also considers that they require more time to develop away from the Spanish capital.
Mourinho shares that assessment and has chosen not to activate either buy-back clause at this stage. Instead, he will follow their progress throughout the coming campaign before making a recommendation to the Real Madrid board.
Chema Andres is currently with Stuttgart, while Jacobo Ramon is playing for Como. Mourinho intends to watch both players personally, assessing their performances and development in Germany and Italy before deciding whether they are ready to return.
The situation represents a delay rather than a rejection of either player. Real Madrid’s initial plan had been to wait until 2027, although the club’s concerns about the strength of its midfield and defence led it to present Mourinho with the possibility of including both players in his squad earlier.
Chema Andres can be brought back by Real Madrid for €18m in the summer of 2027. Ramon’s buy-back clause is understood to be worth between €9m and €10m, meaning the combined cost of re-signing the two players would not exceed €30m.
That figure is considered acceptable by the club, particularly because Real Madrid have already received financial returns from their transfers last summer. The relatively modest cost would allow the club to reassess both players after another season of regular football and decide whether they can make an impact at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid’s position also means that a decision not to activate the clauses would not necessarily end its financial benefit from the pair. If Andres and Ramon continue to perform well outside the Spanish capital, the club could potentially generate further revenue from future sales.
For now, the priority is to track their progress rather than rush them back. Mourinho’s recommendation after the 2026-27 season is expected to play an important part in determining whether either player returns to Real Madrid, or whether the club continues to benefit from their development and market value elsewhere.
