Updated: 31 Jul 2026 09:16 BST |
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Carlos Espi might be the lowest key of Real Madrid’s summer signings, but in one regard, he is also the most impressive. When it comes to putting the ball in the net, no player in La Liga was deadlier than the 21-year-old last season.
On Thursday evening, with limited fanfare and similarly scant warning, Real Madrid announced that they had triggered Espi’s €25 million release clause at Levante.
The 21-year-old had been poised to move to the Premier League with Hull or Brighton, but instead he finds himself at the grandeur of the Bernabeu, furnished with a five-year deal and ready to play for the world’s biggest club.
Carlos Espi: Just what Mourinho wanted
Real Madrid continue to throw their full weight behind new manager Jose Mourinho in the transfer market.
The Portuguese wanted a centre-forward both smart in the box and strong aerially, COPE reports, and the club have responded by snapping up one of the most promising youngsters in Spain.
Espi’s explosion last season may have been comparatively quiet due to the strife at Levante, who struggled to survival in their first season back in the top-flight amid financial difficulties, but it was no less spectacular for it.
Goals per 90 minutes (La Liga: Season 2025/26)
| Name | Club | Goals/90 | |
| 1 | Kylian Mbappe | Real Madrid | 0.87 |
| 2 | Raphinha | Barcelona | 0.85 |
| 3 | Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona | 0.76 |
| 4 | Carlos Espi | Levante | 0.74 |
| 5 | Ferran Torres | Barcelona | 0.73 |
He had hinted at his potential in front of goal as Levante won La Liga 2 in 2024/25, scoring six goals when used almost exclusively as a substitute, but it was last term he finally won a starting spot. And once in the team, he could not stop scoring. Of his 11 league goals, 10 came in the final 13 matches of the season. He barely had minutes before then.
When it came to goals per 90 in La Liga, Espi found himself in heady company. His 0.74 stacked up impressively against even the best in the league, finishing fourth behind his new Real Madrid team-mate Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona duo Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.
The veteran Pole aside, he was La Liga’s deadliest pure No.9 of the type Mourinho requested – and according to data analytics firm SciSports, he was the league’s best finisher statistically who featured for more than 500 minutes of action.
Set for a familiar role
Espi will be going back to familiar territory in some ways this season. He is not someone who has grown used to starting matches, having shown his talents amply as a substitute at Levante.
The 21-year-old can look forward to a similar role at the Bernabeu, too. There is no way that he will be regularly selected ahead of Mbappe, but at least he goes to the capital with his eyes open to this fact. Now is not the time to fret over gametime.
But that’s not to say he will not be precious for Madrid. With Gonzalo Garcia joining Fulham, he will provide the type of physical box player Mourinho may need in certain moments, offering a sledgehammer to Mbappe’s lockpick. Subtlety, the wily Real Madrid boss knows, is not always the answer.
However, in this deal, Madrid have quietly secured one of the most promising strikers in Spanish football, and one who knows his task well.
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