Real Madrid has allowed youngster Takefusa Kubo to join Villarreal on a season-long loan.
This was announced by the Yellow Submarines earlier today. Villareal will be paying a loan fee of around €2 million for the 19-year-old and does not include an option to buy.
Kubo had spent last season with relegated Real Mallorca, where he excelled playing 35 games, scoring four goals, and creating four assists.
“Villarreal CF and Real Madrid have reached an agreement for the loan of the Japanese midfielder Takefusa Kubo, who will play for the Yellows for the 2020-21 season.
“Kubo is a young midfielder who has excellent ball control, and stands out for his extraordinary ability to beat opponents, as well as his excellent reading of the game,” Villarreal said in a statement.
El #Villarreal y el @realmadrid acuerdan 🤝 la cesión de Takefusa Kubo.
¡Sí, sí, sí, Take ya está aquí!
¡Bienvenido 💛👏!
久保建英選手ようこそビジャレアルへ！#BenvingutKubo
👉 https://t.co/9vxF5L34gl pic.twitter.com/RsMMtwBEwa
— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) August 10, 2020
Why Takefusa Kubo joined Villareal on loan
This means that the 19-year-old, who was part of Barcelona La Masia will form part of a new project under coach Unai Emery, who took over at Villarreal last month.
His form with Real Mallorca led to interests from a large number of clubs in Spain — including Sevilla and Real Sociedad — and elsewhere.
The Japanese international decided to join Villareal after being convinced by the club that he will be getting regular first-team football as well as Europa League experience. Villarreal had finished in the fifth-place on the La Liga Santander table this year.
Real Madrid snapped up Kubo from FC Tokyo in 2019 on a five-year contract. The Galaticos initially planned to play him in their reserve team Castilla before deciding that he was ready for first division football.
Kubo had previously spent four years with Barcelona at the youth level but had to return to Japan.
Kubo joined the La Masia in 2011 after passing the trial. He began playing for Barca Aleví C (U11) in the 2012–13 season and emerged as the top goalscorer in the league with 74 goals in 30 games.
Kubo got promoted into the Under 14 in his third full season. But he had to leave Spain after the club was found to have violated FIFA’s international transfer policy for under-18 youths.
Since the rule makes him ineligible to play for the club, he returned to Japan in March 2015 in search of playing time, signing with FC Tokyo’s junior youth team.
He quickly made name for himself by making his senior debut at the age of 15.
