20 million for Gago

With Fernando Gago, the triumvirate of the much announced winter signings from South America is now complete. Starting with Marcelo and continuing with Higuaín, Real Madrid has now spent over 40 million euros in players during the season, a new record.

The latest, Fernando Gago, has been touted by some as a midfielder in the mould of his namesake Redondo. Heavy expectations on a player who has triumphed at Boca Juniors in his native Argentina, but who needs to show he can make the jump to Europe, unlike many of his countrymen. He has been in Italy the last couple of days to complete the process to obtain an Italian passport, given his ancestry from that country. This means enough non-EU spots remain in the squad to enable Marcelo to play with the first team, and not with Castilla as had been anticipated. Gago's deal will keep him at Madrid until 2013, another long-term bet from a team who may not be in their jobs next year, depending on the outcome of the trial for the presidency. Watch this space.