Real Madrid News
Dani Carvajal slams reports of intervening in Rodri – Real Madrid transfer: ‘Lies’
Real Madrid have done an extraordinary job in this summer transfer window, bringing in a host of new players who have instantly improved the team.
Jose Mourinho has also done a great job of integrating existing players into his current setup, with Real Madrid winning three matches in a row to start the new season.
However, perhaps the biggest undoing for Real Madrid this summer was the Rodri transfer. The club were close to signing the midfielder, who later changed his mind to join Barcelona.
News reports have surfaced that it was actually former Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal, who left earlier in the summer, who advised the club against signing Rodri.
Some reports went further, claiming he spoke directly to Rodri to dissuade him from joining Los Blancos.
Carvajal trashes the rumours
Carvajal has now responded publicly, leaving no room for ambiguity over his stance on the matter.
The former Real Madrid captain took to Instagram to comment on a post from 365scores that referenced the reports linking him to the Rodri saga.
“Lies,” he wrote on the comment section with a sick-face emoji.
For Carvajal, who spent his entire senior career at the Bernabeu before departing this summer, the suggestion that he actively worked against the club’s interests was clearly one he could not let slide.
A sensitive topic at the Bernabeu
The Rodri saga remains a sore subject for Real Madrid and their supporters.
The Spanish midfielder had been widely expected to join Los Blancos, with the club having made a verbal offer of around €50 million to Manchester City.
However, Rodri ultimately chose Barcelona, dealing a significant blow to Mourinho’s midfield plans.
The idea that a Real Madrid legend could have played any part in that outcome was always going to provoke a strong reaction.
Nevertheless, Real Madrid have moved on and started the season on a strong note, despite not being able to reinforce their midfield unit.
The real challenge, though, will be to secure back to back wins in the upcoming matches against Real Betis and Inter Milan, respectively.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid record signing labelled once in a generation star: ‘One in every ten years’
Real Madrid had an exceptional summer transfer window, with the club bringing in as many as seven players for Jose Mourinho.
No signing was bigger than Yan Diomande, though, with the Ivorian becoming Los Blancos’ most expensive acquisition of all time.
The 19-year-old arrives at Madrid carrying enormous expectations, and the people who have worked closely with the young winger believe he can live up to them.
As quoted by MARCA, Thiago Freitas, operations director at Roc Nation, used an extraordinary comparison when discussing Diomande.
Diomande compared to Halley’s Comet
Roc Nation identified Diomande while he was still at Leipzig, and Freitas explained just how quickly the agency became convinced by his potential.
“We are always looking at the stars, but while looking at the stars, sometimes a comet appears,” Freitas said.
“I can say that Yan, among the stars, is like a comet, a Halley that you find every eight or ten years. And when the possibility of working with him came to us, we did not think twice.”
The agency subsequently built a personalised structure around Diomande to help his development, although convincing Leipzig to part with such a valuable young player was never expected to be straightforward.
“A player of this level, every club wants to keep. We knew it would be a great challenge, a difficult task to make this transfer happen,” he explained.
Real Madrid changed the transfer race
Freitas also revealed that several major clubs wanted Diomande before Madrid eventually secured his signature.
“Many of the most important, richest and most qualified clubs in the world showed interest in Yan,” he said.
However, once Madrid entered the race, Roc Nation felt the dynamic changed completely.
“But I always say that for players, Real Madrid is the Pele of clubs,” Freitas explained.
“When Real Madrid’s interest appears, there is nothing more the other clubs can do.”
Freitas believes Diomande’s unpredictability makes him particularly suited to Madrid, where opponents regularly defend with the primary objective of containing their attacking talent.
“Yan is a player who can bring a lot of surprise to Madrid,” he said, highlighting his ability to break tactical structures and create unexpected situations.
Diomande is still a young player who needs time under Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese tactician is easing him into action.
The teenager may not be starting for Madrid yet, but it will not be long before he gets the nod. Jose is said to be keen to avoid another Mastantuono situation with him.
One thing is clear, though: everyone who has worked with Madrid in some capacity thinks the sky is the limit for him, and it remains to be seen whether he hits those heights at the Bernabeu.
Samuel
September 2, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Real Madrid have done great things locally and internationally without Rodri.Forget about him and put trust in the players you’ve, this Rodri thing is a psychological game to make you believe Barcelona are now better than you. This guy is very old for a club like Real Madrid, and I even don’t see what is interesting in him. Focus on the machines you already have they are enough win everything before you.