Real Madrid, what happened to the Dumfries announcement? Accounting reasons mean waiting until July

Denzel Dumfries’ €25m move from Inter Milan to Real Madrid is now virtually sealed, with the Dutch wing-back having already signed a contract with Los Blancos until 2030.

Yet despite a full agreement being in place for weeks, there has been an unexpected delay in Real Madrid making the deal official, while Ibrahima Konaté, Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella have all already been confirmed as Madrid players.

According to OK Diario, Florentino Pérez’s club want to avoid registering the signing in the 2025/26 financial year. Delaying the announcement until 1 July would allow the full financial impact of the deal to fall into the 2026/27 accounts, keeping the current balance sheet in order and maximising their room within La Liga’s salary cap for next season.

The paperwork is also being slowed by complex tax issues, linked to Spain’s high personal income tax rates, which exceed 45% for top-earning footballers.

Because players usually negotiate their salaries net of tax, Real Madrid must structure the gross cost of the deal, agents’ commissions and the various international tax obligations between Spain and Italy with extreme care.

That meticulous financial planning is designed to avoid penalties or additional costs, delaying by just a few days the official statement that will confirm Dumfries’ definitive departure from Inter.