Real Madrid and Japan winger Takefusa Kubo is closing in on a second loan move to Mallorca after the Balearic outfit beat out rivals Real Sociedad for his services, Goal can confirm.
The 20-year-old first arrived in La Liga ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, and has spent his first two seasons in Spain elsewhere on a temporary basis at the behest of Los Blancos.
Now, he is set to spend a third campaign away from Santiago Bernabeu, with Los Piratas looking to have the edge in the hunt for his signature as he returns from Tokyo 2020 duty with his country.
What are the details?
As Kubo heads back to Spain in the wake of a fourth-place finish at the Olympics with the Samurai Blue, he looks poised to make his return to Mallorca, who are back in the top-flight after an immediate return from relegation.
Though the Palma-based outfit were condemned to the drop during Kubo's first year with them in 2018-19, he is thought to have enjoyed his time with the club, where he forged a strong connection with fans in the community.
With a return to his homeland already ruled out by Madrid - who wish him to remain in Spain - it seems logical that he may wish to return to the club now that they have achieved top-tier status once more, despite Sociedad's attempts to forge a deal themselves.
Kubo's Madrid career so far
Having swapped FC Tokyo for Europe as a teenager, Kubo is yet to leave his mark on Los Blancos, having failed to notch a senior competitive appearance for them to date.
He has, however, impressed when afforded the opportunity during his spells away with the club, arguably best during his first season at Mallorca, where he netted four goals in 36 games.
A subsequent loan to Villarreal was cut short after just half a season as he was mostly used from the bench - though he picked up a Europa League winners' medal with the club despite having left them five months prior thanks to their triumph over Manchester United late last term.
He spent the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign on loan with Getafe, where he helped the Azulones dodge the drop to the second tier with a 15th-place finish.
The bigger picture
Madrid - who have reunited with Carlo Ancelotti as coach following Zinedine Zidane's exit - are preparing for one of their biggest seasons in recent memory this term.
Having fallen short in their pursuit of major silverware last term - and with Sergio Ramos having left the club - Los Blancos are in the midst of a sea change in the capital.
They will be determined to dethrone cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid, who usurped them as title holders last term, and get their campaign underway against Alaves on August 14.
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