Diego Llorente
Diego Llorente made 27 appearances for Malaga during the 2016-17 season Getty

KEY POINTS

  • The Basque side have reportedly paid £5.3m for Llorente's services.
  • 23-year-old defender spent last season on loan at Malaga.

Real Madrid have agreed a deal with Real Sociedad for the transfer of academy product Diego Llorente. Los Blancos have not disclosed the specific details of the agreement, but reports in Spain claim that the Basque side have paid around €6m (£5.3m, $6.7m) to lure the versatile defender to Anoeta on a five-year deal.

Llorente, 23, was handed his first-team debut by Jose Mourinho in January 2013 having progressed through the Real Madrid youth ranks since the age of eight.

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The versatile defender also had two opportunities under Carlo Ancelotti over the following seasons before being sent on loan to Rayo Vallecano in the summer of 2015.

His impressive campaign with Real's Madrid neighbours saw him handed his Spain debut during a friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 2016.

However, Real Madrid decided to send him on loan to Malaga last summer as Zinedine Zidane already had the centre-back area covered by Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Pepe and Nacho.

Llorente made 27 appearances for Malaga and the Andalucian side were said to be likely to keep him at the Rosaleda for at least one more season.

But Real Madrid have instead agreed for him to join Real Sociedad. Different publications in Spain claim that Los Blancos have also inserted a buy-back option as part of the €6m deal.

Zidane has a gap in the heart of his defence after Pepe recently announced that he will leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer as a free agent having failed to reach an agreement over a new deal.

Real Madrid are expected to bring in Jesus Vallejo to cover that role and have thus decided to part ways with Llorente on a permanent basis.

Llorente's sale is the third deal completed by the reigning European Champions this summer. Last week they sent Federico Santiago Valverde on loan to Deportivo La Coruña.

In May, they announced the signing of Vinicius de Oliveira Junior from Flamengo, although the 16-year-old wonderkid will continue his development in Brazil until the summer of 2019.

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