Fulham are closing in on a double signing from Real Madrid, with head coach Alvaro Arbeloa set to be reunited with two players he knows well from his time in the Spanish capital, according to The Athletic.

Attacking midfielder Gonzalo Garcia and winger Cesar Palacios are expected to complete moves to Craven Cottage in a combined deal worth around £43 million. Both players will be subject to a 30 percent sell-on clause, with Garcia accounting for the bulk of the fee.

Arbeloa's Madrid connections drive the deal

Arbeloa, who played for and later coached several of Real Madrid's junior sides, is understood to be the primary architect of the double swoop. The moves come as Fulham look to fill the void left by the departures of Harry Wilson, who joined Leeds United on a free transfer, and striker Raul Jimenez, who returned to Wolverhampton Wanderers under the same terms.

Garcia, 22, earned his first senior cap for Spain in a World Cup warm-up fixture against Iraq in June and has steadily raised his profile at the Bernabeu. He registered 13 first-team goals for Real Madrid in total, including eight from 39 appearances in all competitions last season — two Champions League starts and nine La Liga starts among them. With Kylian Mbappe firmly entrenched at the top of the attacking hierarchy, consistent minutes were always going to be difficult to come by.

The Athletic reports that Real Madrid had decided months ago that Garcia would leave this summer, but the process stalled following José Mourinho's appointment. Mourinho wanted to assess the striker during pre-season and came away with a positive impression — yet was unable to promise him a prominent role, ultimately leaving the decision to Garcia himself.

Palacios, valued at under £10 million in the reported agreement, has been part of the Real Madrid setup since 2020 and spent the majority of last season with the B side. He did make seven senior appearances for Real Madrid in 2025-26 — all of them under Arbeloa's management.

A difficult summer at Craven Cottage

Garcia and Palacios are set to become Fulham's second and third new arrivals of the summer, following Swedish forward Jonah Kusi-Asare, who made his loan move from Bayern Munich permanent after the 2025-26 season.

The club has faced notable disruption off the pitch. Manager Marco Silva, who had stabilised Fulham's Premier League status since taking charge, departed for Benfica in June — succeeding Mourinho at the Estadio da Luz. Defender Issa Diop also left, joining Ipswich Town for a reported fee of around £8.5 million.

Fulham open their Premier League campaign on August 24 with a Monday night home match against a reshaped Chelsea side.