Real Madrid sign Guangzhou starlet Lin Liangming after lucrative pre-season tour makes La Liga giants even richer

Real Madrid will return from their preseason tour of China and Australia this week at least £14m richer; with a new online store opened in China; and with one of the country’s brightest young stars signed for their Under-19 team.

Attacking midfielder Lin Liangming could join the club’s UEFA youth league team for next season after Madrid agreed to pay his club Guangzhou £200,000. And his capture will complete another lucrative pre-season for the world's wealthiest club.

Madrid have been trying to open up what they see as a market of 600m potential consumers since 2003 when they took David Beckham on tour no sooner had he arrived from Manchester United.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez poses for a picture with Alibaba vice president Jeff Zhang Jianfeng

Real Madrid made adeal with the Chinese e-commerce giant, who will oversee their Chinese online sales

This year they will make an estimated £5m from two games on Chinese soil against Inter Milan on Monday and against AC Milan on July 30. Before arriving in China they made £8.5m from two games in Australia including the meeting with Manchester City in front of 100,000 at the Melbourne Cricket ground.

That sum of £13.5m is boosted by the various commercial deals that some estimates put at £21m. Among them is the tie-up with the Alibaba group who will over see their new online sales operation in China. ‘Forbes has recognised us as the most valuable sporting institution in the world for the third year running’ said president Florentino Perez at the oficial launch of the club’s partnership with Alibaba.

‘For our club and our players the support we receive in China is very important. That is why Benitez and the squad are working with great dedication and intensity.’

How much that dedication and intensity takes out of the players come the end of the season remains to be seen.

Coach Rafa Benitez and his players might not enjoy the arduous pre-season slog and have struggled with the contrast between the biting cold of Melbourne and the sweltering heat of Guangzhou but the club’s coffers have once again been considerable swelled by the round of high profile friendlies.

Liangming's switch to Madrid opens up further revenue streams for the club. The highly-rated youngster was offered the chance to stay in China on loan at one of the Chinese Super League’s biggest clubs but seems set to head for Madrid where if he makes the move he will, in effect, replace Scottish starlet Jack Harper who this summer moved to Brighton. 

The deal means Real Madrid will return from their preseason tour this week at least £14m richer