Real Madrid Valencia forward will join Castilla

Despite the disappointment from the 3-0 Clasico defeat on Saturday, Real Madrid continue to press on with business as usual, with Rafa Mir in the Spanish capital to close his transfer to Los Blancos.

The 20-year-old will become the first Castilla reinforcement of the January window, with a deal likely to be completed in the coming hours.

His intention is to not return to Valencia, with training there set to resume on January 2.

He debuted in the Champions League during Nuno Espirito Santo's time with club back in 2015, yet he is not expected to challenge for a first-team place at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu immediately.

This transfer is not a spur of the moment act, as an agreement was reached in principle between the two clubs in the summer, only for it to be vetoed at the last minute by the Valencia president Anil Murthy.

Under five months on, a deal is now likely to be struck with the exit door now reopened.

The negotiations are believed to be just one step away from being finalised.

In a report published in Superdeporte on Saturday, both the forward and his agent, Carlos Bucero, had been seen at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu earlier in the day.