Real Madrid are set to pull off a pragmatic coup by re-signing Lucas Vázquez. The winger is to return to the Bernabéu after a year at Espanyol, where he made his top-flight debut this past season, and will become a fully fledged member of Rafa Benítez's first-team squad.

'Los Blancos' have decided to exercise their option to buy back their academy graduate, with a fee set at 1 million. He will become the club's third addition of the summer after Danilo and Casemiro, and at a bargain price.

Vázquez's arrival can be seen as a strategic move. On the one hand, Benítez will get his hands on a player with similar attributes to those José Mourinho saw in José Callejón, another Bernabéu youth product 'retrieved' from Espanyol. The Galician schemer offers pace, directness, the ability to beat defenders and a commendable work ethic.

At club level, meanwhile, Vázquez will enable Real Madrid to cover their backs in relation to the Champions League regulations on home-grown and association-trained players. With rumours suggesting a number of other academy graduates could leave, Vázquez will be another option to make sure the club meets the quota.