Why not? Even in our brightest era, for majority of footballers Real would still be the more prestigious choice.
Players are professionals before they are fans, we must understand that. There's nothing wrong with what he said, even if he does consider us as a stepping stone. He gives us 2-4 fantastic years and we sell him to Madrid for 20-30 mil, what's wrong with that? If anything this goes to show he has further ambition in his career and that ambition to become a Real Madrid player in future can give just as much, if not more, to us than mere attachment to the jersey.