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

The self-proclaimed "biggest club in the world" are always trying to sign the best players in the world. That has been the mindset at Real Madrid for years. So the fact the club have been linked with Manchester City's Rodri for several weeks now is hardly a major surprise, especially as the midfield orchestrator was voted the best player of the tournament after Spain’s World Cup triumph. At the latest, that award meant Real had to start looking into the matter. But whether signing the 30-year-old is actually a good idea for the Madrid side is another question.

Much of the current talk around Rodri at Real, alongside two Bundesliga stars in Michael Olise (Bayern Munich) and Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig), once again comes down to president Florentino Perez. At the start of June, he was engaged in an intense election campaign with his challenger Enrique Riquelme, at the end of which he was comfortably confirmed in office. He had grandly announced to the fans and club members that there would be a mega transfer in the summer, saying he wanted to submit a €150 million offer for a top star.

"The offer applies to a player of the calibre of Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaka," declared Perez. In the end, though, it turned out to be far less flair, creativity and goal threat: Julian Alvarez was supposed to arrive from Atletico Madrid for that fee, but the city rivals brusquely and swiftly knocked back the offer from Los Blancos, which may not have been entirely serious in the first place. Real kept moving in the market after that, but the deal that would have made the fans dream of golden times again after two trophyless years never came. First came the return of former coach Jose Mourinho, who won titles during his spell at the Santiago Bernabeu but usually came off second best in the eternal duel with Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.

Real still without a blockbuster in the transfer market

Then Real signed two full-backs in Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) and Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan) for a combined €75 million, while Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool) arrived as another defender on a free transfer. Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), who at 31 is even older than Rodri, was another experienced player to join on a free. But the promised blockbuster still failed to materialise, and Rodri could, of course, provide exactly that with a move.

His quality still speaks in favour of Real making a move if he comes on to the market, even after suffering an ACL rupture in 2024, and he again showed it impressively at the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico. According to information from Sky Sport, he has an offer on the table at City to extend his contract, which runs until 2027, but no agreement has yet been reached with the Sky Blues. The same report also states that Real have offered Rodri a deal running until 2030 at Los Blancos. An offer worth €50 million to €60 million is currently said to be in preparation.

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Yet other reports dispute precisely this Real interest. Spanish sports newspaper AS cites sources within the club who have noted that the alleged pursuit of Rodri is linked only to Spain's success at the World Cup. Were he to come to Madrid as the midfield conductor Real had undoubtedly been painfully missing since the departures of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, the playing idea of new coach Mourinho would be completely turned on its head.

Under Rodri, you get possession-based football, with the 30-year-old deciding when the game needs to speed up or slow down and with every attack initiated by him. But beginning under Carlo Ancelotti, Real had recently developed into a team with no problem 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 has to rest and recover"

Whether Rodri is even a fit for the Real manager and his style of play is one big question. Whether the mooted €100 million fee for a 30-year-old would not be too much is another. This summer, however, Rodri gave the impression that he still has several good years ahead of him and would certainly justify the price. And despite his past at Atletico Madrid, Rodri himself repeatedly gave the impression that he would be quite 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 tellingly in the spring, prompting the first speculation about the midfield orchestrator returning to the Spanish capital.

However, 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, has to rest and recover. And then he will come back to us," explained City coach Maresca.

Still, there is no guarantee he will actually return to Manchester. Alongside Real, Paris Saint-Germain are also now said to be after Rodri according to RMC, even with the back surgery, even though the French side's midfield is excellently stocked with Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves. Their two Champions League titles in a row speak volumes.

After seven years in England, Rodri himself is said to favour a return to Spain. He would probably be far easier to convince about 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 very persuasive financially when he wants to get something done. And after all, he made a promise to the Real fans that he would very much like to keep.