Real Madrid lure a starlet away from Las Palmas

Every summer the biggest clubs in Spain look to persuade some of Las Palmas' best prospects that they should leave the Canary Islands in favour of mainland Spain, and the latest to do so is Real Madrid with 16-year-old goalkeeper Ruben Torres.

Clearly Las Palmas cannot compete with Madrid's financial might, while Los Blancos have taken advantage of the fact that players are free to negotiate with any other side from June 30.

Sixto Alfonso, Real Madrid's scout in the Canary Islands, has discovered talents such as Jese Rodriguez, and Torres could be another gem.

Last season, he played in the Cadete A, Juvenil B and Juvenil Division de Honor teams, whilst also training with Las Palmas' first-team goalkeeper trio of Raul Fernandez, Nauzet Perez and Josep Martinez.

The departure of Torres has not been easy, though. The player's parents were able to make their son a free agent due to an article in the new Canarian Law of Sport which does not allow clubs to retain players below the age of 16, contrary to the Spanish Football Federation's regulations that allow clubs to do so from 15 years of age.

Despite this, Torres and those around him never closed the door on potentially staying at Las Palmas. His agent, Abian Moreno, who also represented Mauro Icardi as a youngster, had a meeting with the club's sporting director, Rocco Maiorino, to discuss whether the club intended to offer him a new contract, something that never arrived.

Many elite clubs were interested in the goalkeeper - Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Real Madrid - but ultimately he decided to move to the Spanish capital and join the 13-time European champions on a three-year deal.

Las Palmas have not reacted well to this news, however, and they intend to file a complaint against Los Blancos as they look to retain the player's rights.