Real Madrid ‘Set to Sign’ 16-Year-Old, Transfer Part of ‘Lamine Yamal Strategy’

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·8 June 2025

Real Madrid ‘Set to Sign’ 16-Year-Old, Transfer Part of ‘Lamine Yamal Strategy’

Real Madrid’s reinvigorated quest to sign young stars has lead them to the acquisition of coveted Ajax teenager Abdellah Ouazane, multiple reports have claimed.

The Amsterdam-born Morocco youth international is yet to make his senior debut. Ouazane has only made four appearances for Ajax’s U19s—although, his record of three goals during those 90 combined minutes is a mightily impressive return for any player, let alone a 16-year-old.

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Ouazane is said to have caught Madrid’s eye at the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. The versatile midfielder helped Morocco win the tournament with a series of performances which earned him the MVP award for the competition.

ESPN Netherlands claim that Real Madrid have moved quickly to already secure Ouazane’s services for next season. The teenager is expected to join the club’s B team—RM Castilla—as he grows attuned to the unique demands of Spanish football.

The report claims that Ajax made several attempts to persuade Ouazane to remain in Amsterdam, even drafting in new first-team manager John Heitinga to deliver an impassioned, in-personal appeal. None of it worked.

Ajax will only be entitled to a symbolic “training fee” as Ouazane is poised to put pen to paper on a three-year deal with Real Madrid.

Spanish outlet MARCA were the first to report of Real Madrid’s interest and billed the club’s approach as a strategy inspired by Lamine Yamal. Barcelona’s 17-year-old prodigy has supposedly “paved the way” for young talents across the continent to be given a chance at the elite level long before their 18th birthdays.

There may be some substance to that argument. During the 2023–24 campaign, Yamal was one of only 11 players to make an appearance in Europe’s top five leagues aged 16 or under at the start of the season. That figure doubled to 22 in 2024–25 after the world watched Yamal tear the continent to shreds while also sitting his school exams at Euro 2024.

Whether Ouazane will be given the chance to shine for Madrid’s senior side before he turns 17 next January remains to be seen, but his development is set to continue in the Spanish capital.