According to Fabrizio Romano, a Real Madrid legend has officially joined Al Qadsiah on a free transfer, with the documents already signed.
Real Madrid are going through a strange transitional period, which is bittersweet for their fans. While they have plenty of promising youngsters coming through the ranks alongside some world-class signings, it is also the time where many of their club legends are stepping down.
Famously, Toni Kroos announced his retirement, having already played his final game for Real Madrid in the Champions League final. Alongside this news, there are other ageing players who are entering the final stages of their careers, for example Luka Modric.
While Modric will still be a Real Madrid player next season (even though it didn't look like that at one point), it looks like one other club legend will be taking the plunge to move elsewhere.
According to Fabrizio Romano on X (formerly Twitter), the deal which sees Nacho Fernandez leave Real Madrid on a free transfer to sign for Al Qadsiah is official as of Tuesday (25 June), with the player already signing.
Al Qadsiah is a Saudi Arabian side who play in the emerging Saudi Pro League as of next season. Fellow Real Madrid legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema also ply their trade in this league, so there is every possibility that Nacho will come up against his former teammates.
Interestingly, Nacho will also join Luciano Vietto, who previously played for Atletico Madrid, in Saudi Arabia on the same team. Al Qadsiah will play in the Saudi Pro League as of next season, after securing promotion by finishing at the top of Division 1. Therefore, Nacho is expected to kickstart their success story, having achieved a lot at Real Madrid.
From Real Madrid's perspective, it will be an emotional time to see Nacho leave, however, it will not be detrimental. The club legend is leaving at the right time, as he is growing surplus to requirements in the Spanish capital and he deserves to be starting week-in, week-out for a club like Al Qadsiah. Surely, he will be a success in their back-line.