Real Madrid News
Barcelona willing to spend up to €50 million to sign priority Real Madrid target – report
Real Madrid have had a blockbuster summer transfer window so far, signing the likes of Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Bernardo Silva, Marc Cucurella and Carlos Espi.
The club are still not done, trying to wrap up deals for Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig and Rodri from Manchester City.
The Spanish midfielder is keen on returning to Spain this summer transfer window, and Jose Mourinho is personally pushing to sign him.
Such was the confidence Los Blancos had in pulling off the Rodri deal that there were even suggestions he could take the No. 16 jersey at the club.
Barcelona remain interested despite Madrid’s advantage
Now, according to Nil Sola on Cadena SER, Barcelona are prepared to rival Real Madrid for the signing of Rodri if the Manchester City midfielder opens the door to a move to Camp Nou this summer.
The Catalan club remain “very attentive” to Rodri’s situation following Frenkie de Jong’s long-term injury.
They are willing to spend up to €50 million to sign the World Cup-winning Spaniard, who would bolster their midfield immensely.
However, the report states that Rodri is not Barcelona’s top priority in the current transfer window and that it is De Jong’s injury that has forced them to look at him.
Barcelona consider the World Cup winner the best player in his position and believe he would fit perfectly into Hansi Flick’s project.
Despite their interest, though, the understanding is that Real Madrid still remain in pole position to sign the 30-year-old.
Madrid still hold the upper hand
Although Barcelona believe they could structure a deal worth around €50 million, the report adds that fitting Rodri’s salary within La Liga’s Financial Fair Play regulations remains a significant obstacle.
The club are studying different scenarios under which they could sign Rodri, but only if he is willing to choose Barcelona as his next destination.
From Real Madrid’s perspective, Barcelona’s continued interest is unlikely to come as a surprise. It is unlikely to concern them either.
Los Blancos have already made significant progress on the Rodri deal, including agreeing personal terms with him, and are in negotiations with Manchester City.
Rather than look at Barça, who are in the rear-view mirror, the onus is now on Los Blancos to go ahead and wrap up a deal for Rodri as soon as they can.
Unless the situation changes dramatically, this is still Madrid’s deal to lose, and it remains to be seen how Rodri’s future pans out.
Real Madrid News
Jose Mourinho was always clear about getting rid of Real Madrid midfielder this summer – report
Real Madrid’s summer transfer window was largely successful, not only in terms of securing key arrivals but also in terms of letting go of players who had no place in the dynamics.
One player who stood out in the second category was Dani Ceballos as the Spanish midfielder was frozen out of Real Madrid’s starting dynamics for several years before his eventual departure.
In the end, the club simply let the player leave as a free agent by accepting a contract termination as they saw the salary space freed as a win compared to his presence.
Mourinho’s clear stance
As confirmed in a recent report by Diario AS, Real Madrid’s new manager Jose Mourinho has no doubt that he did not count on Ceballos for the ongoing season.
Being the straightforward communicator that he is, the Portuguese manager directly informed Ceballos that he did not count on him in any capacity, speaking out loud about a fact that was known as an open secret for a long time.
Having clarity that his situation at the club was not going to change, Ceballos pressed to leave and eventually had his way as the club allowed him to walk out of the front door with no transfer fee.
Times were tense
The Spanish outlet also add that the decision to let the player leave with a contract termination was not easy for Real Madrid to accept, especially given that it is a last resort.
In the negotiations between Ceballos and the Real Madrid hierarchy, there were some moments filled with tension and disagreements.
In fact, there was even an initial exit agreement that was reached which was cancelled in the hope of a better outcome.
Eventually, however, both parties reached a fitting resolution and Real Madrid enabled the player’s departure without any hurdles and Ceballos went on to join Real Betis.
Even that move required the player to take a massive cut on his salary, but the saga worked out well for both clubs as the player. From Real Madrid’s perspective, the space created on the team’s roster was worth its weight in gold.
