By Antonio Vazquez - Real Madrid will sell Japan youngster Takefusa Kubo to La Liga rivals Real Sociedad, the clubs confirmed on Monday. Kubo moves to San Sebastian in a deal worth €6.5 million (£5.5m/$6.5m), while Madrid retain a portion of the winger's playing rights.
Kubo, 21, is highly rated in Spain but found first-team opportunities hard to come by among Madrid's star-studded squad.
He will now look to feature on a more regular basis for Sociedad, who will be active both in the Primera Division and Europa League over the course of 2022-23.
Kubo on the way to Real Sociedad
The Basque club confirmed on Monday that Kubo is set to become their latest signing of the summer, pending medical examinations.
"Take Kubo arrived late this afternoon in Donostia to complete his move to Real Sociedad," they explained on the club's official website.
"The Japanese footballer landed at Hondarribia airport around 8.30pm, where director of football Roberto Olabe and scouting director Erik Bretos awaited him.
"The Japanese footballer will undergo a medical tomorrow at the Gipuzkoa Polyclinic and once completed, will sign his contract with Real and be officially presented as a new Txuri Urdin player."
GOAL understands that Real have purchased 50 per cent of Kubo's playing rights in exchange for a fee of £5.5m.
Madrid remain in control of the other half, which can be sold at a later date should the club so wish.
The bigger picture
Kubo first arrived at Madrid from FC Tokyo at the age of 18, having previously spent three seasons in the academy arch-rivals Barcelona before being forced to leave due to a breach of FIFA underage transfer restrictions.
He did not play a single game at senior level for the Merengue but has accrued first-team experience away from the club in a series of loan moves, the most recent of which at Mallorca where he played 31 games in all competitions across 2021-22, scoring on three occasions.