From a squad-building standpoint, Madrid are probably better off letting him stay and then deciding later whether he fits their long-term plans, because at the moment he would be competing with players who already occupy similar spaces and he would not necessarily get the run of games he needs, and if the buy-back is cheap enough then it is hardly a disaster either way, but football never works that neatly does it because once a player starts looking settled somewhere else everybody panics and starts talking about missed chances and future regrets and how the club will look stupid if he becomes brilliant and all that noise, and honestly if I were Madrid I would just leave him where he is and stop overthinking it because the worst thing you can do with a talented young player is drag him back too early and then wonder why he looks frustrated and flat and everyone starts blaming the manager and the system and the dressing room and the weather and the moon and whatever else