Will Real Madrid repeat history? Florentino Perez wants a 'star' from rival Barcelona

History could repeat itself. According to Spanish media, Florentino Perez is dreaming of a move reminiscent of the one that shocked the football world 26 years ago with the transfer of Luis Figo.

This time, he has his sights set on Pedri. Will Los Blancos manage to break the billion-euro clause and deliver another shock to their arch-rivals?

Will history repeat itself? Real Madrid want to mirror Figo saga

Could a shocking transfer between Barcelona and Real Madrid be on the cards? It was the year 2000 when Portuguese superstar Luis Figo left Barcelona after five years and headed to the Catalan club's biggest rivals – Real Madrid.

Real paid £52.5m (€62m) for him, making him the most expensive player in football history. A year later, the record was broken again by Real when they signed Zinedine Zidane.

Barcelona fans found this transfer extremely hard to stomach and accused their former favourite of high treason. Figo then spent the same number of seasons in Madrid before heading to Inter Milan in Italy.

At Real, he made a total of 245 appearances, scoring 58 goals, winning two league titles and lifting the Champions League once.

Pedri: Perez's dream signing for 2027-28

Twenty-six years have passed and history could repeat itself. Los Blancos are planning to bring in Pedri. The Spain international is Florentino Perez's dream signing, with the president hoping to secure him for the 2027-28 season.

"You will agree with me that this would certainly be a bombshell. A similar scenario to what happened with Luis Figo in the 2000-01 season. It is not just about strengthening, but about weakening a rival. Barcelona would lose a key player," claims Juan Gato, a journalist from ElDesmarque.

The transfer may not be unrealistic. Pedri is not a Barcelona academy product. He arrived from Las Palmas and immediately established himself among Barca's most important players. Since his arrival, the 23-year-old midfielder has made a total of 227 appearances, scoring 28 goals.

The problem for Real is an unrealistic release clause, which is reportedly as high as £847m (€1bn). The player is under contract until 2030. However, the speculation is also confirmed by another journalist, Roberto Gomez.

"Florentino Perez longs for Pedri. I will say just two words – Luis Figo."