Espanyol midfielder Alex Fernandez has joined Championship side Reading on a season-long loan.
The 22-year-old, a former Spain Under-19 international, is still awaiting international clearance ahead of fully completing the move.
He came up through the ranks at Real Madrid and made two senior appearances for Los Blancos before joining Espanyol two years ago.
"Alex Fernandez is a talented young footballer who can play in different positions throughout the midfield area," Reading boss Steve Clarke told the club website.
"Any footballer who has come through the youth system at Real Madrid always gets a good football education and will have a good understanding of the game.
"When we knew we could get him on loan for a season it was too good an opportunity to miss."
Fernandez will be hoping that the move goes through in time so that he can feature in tomorrow night's Championship match at Sheffield Wednesday.
Pascal Lemesre
