Will Jose Mourinho also become a problem? Real Madrid’s questionable pursuit of Rodri

The self-proclaimed "biggest club in the world" chase the best players in the world, that's how Real Madrid have seen themselves for years. So it is no surprise they have been linked with Manchester City's Rodri for several weeks, especially after the midfield orchestrator was voted the best player of the tournament after Spain's World Cup triumph. That award alone was enough to force Real to take a closer look. Whether signing the 30-year-old would actually be a good idea for the club is another matter.

Rodri's name is now being discussed at Real alongside two Bundesliga stars in Michael Olise (Bayern Munich) and Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig), and once again Florentino Perez sits at the heart of it: at the start of June he was still locked in an intense election campaign with challenger Enrique Riquelme, before being comfortably confirmed in office at the end of it. He had promised fans and club members a mega signing for the summer, saying he wanted to make an offer worth €150 million for a top star.

"The offer is for a player of the calibre of Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaka," Perez declared, but in the end it was a target with far less flair, ingenuity and goal threat: Julian Alvarez was meant to arrive from Atletico Madrid for that fee, but the city rivals brutally and swiftly rejected the offer from Los Blancos, which may not have been all that serious in the first place. Real stayed active in the market after that, but the one deal that would have made the fans dream of golden times again after two trophyless years never came. First, former coach Jose Mourinho returned, and while he did win titles during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, he mostly came off second best in the eternal duel with Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.

Real still without a big-bang transfer in the market

After that, Real signed two full-backs in Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) and Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan) for a combined €75 million, while Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool) arrived on a free transfer as another defender. Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), who at 31 is even older than Rodri, also joined on a free. But the blockbuster signing Perez had announced still failed to materialise, and Rodri could clearly provide exactly that.

Rodri's quality still makes a strong case for Real making a move if he comes onto the market, even after suffering a cruciate ligament tear in 2024, and he underlined that once again at the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico. According to information from Sky Sport, City have offered to extend his contract, which runs until 2027, but no agreement has yet been reached with the Sky Blues. The same report says Real have offered Rodri the chance to sign with Los Blancos until 2030. An offer worth €50 million to €60 million is said to be in preparation.

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Yet other reports directly challenge that supposed interest from Real. Spanish sports daily AS cites sources inside the club who say the alleged pursuit of Rodri is only linked to Spain's World Cup success. If he arrived in Madrid as the midfield conductor Real have unquestionably and painfully lacked since Toni Kroos and Luka Modric left, new coach Mourinho's entire footballing idea would be turned on its head.

Put Rodri in the side and you get possession football, with the 30-year-old deciding when the game must speed up and when it must slow down, and with every attack starting through him. Since Carlo Ancelotti, though, Real had recently developed into a team with no issue handing the ball to the opposition and relying on transition moments through the pace of Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe.

Maresca on Rodri absence: "He needs to rest and recover"

So one major question is whether Rodri fits Real's coach and his style of play at all. Another is whether the mooted €100 million fee is simply too much for a 30-year-old. This summer, though, Rodri looked like a player with several good years still ahead of him, and one who fully justifies that price. Rodri himself has also repeatedly given the impression that, despite his past at Atletico Madrid, he would certainly be willing to play for Los Blancos.

"The fact I played for Atletico does not stop me from playing for Real. There are other players who have taken that path," he said pointedly in the spring, sparking the first speculation about the midfield orchestrator returning to the Spanish capital.

Then last week brought news from his club that he would have to undergo back surgery immediately and would initially be out for an indefinite period. "He will have surgery on Monday. Then he needs a holiday, he needs to rest and recover. And then he will come back to us," City coach Maresca explained. On Tuesday, the Sky Blues announced that the procedure had been successful. "Everyone at the club wishes him a speedy recovery," the club wrote in a statement.

Even so, it is far from certain that he will actually return to Manchester. Alongside Real, Paris Saint-Germain are now also said to be in for Rodri, back surgery or not, according to RMC, even if the French side's midfield is excellently stocked with Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves. Their two consecutive Champions League titles speak volumes.

After seven years in England, Rodri is said to favour a return to Spain. He would probably be much easier to convince over a move to Real than his club, who have so far dug their heels in and are not working towards a deal. But Florentino Perez is known to be financially persuasive when he wants something. And he did make the Real fans a promise he would very much like to keep.