Real Madrid News
Man City mainstay grew tired of waiting for Real Madrid, reaches agreement with Barcelona
For several days now, it appeared like Real Madrid had the signing of Manchester City and Spain superstar Rodri in the bag.
The 30-year-old midfielder had made it no secret that he was keen on returning to the Spanish capital and that his past with Atletico Madrid would not affect any potential move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Reliable sources even suggested that personal terms were never going to be an issue.
But Real Madrid dropped the ball when it came to negotiations with his club, Manchester City, allowing Barcelona to swoop in and successfully hijack the operation.
Rodri got tired of waiting
Indeed, according to the reliable Matteo Moretto, the 2026 FIFA World Cup winner grew tired of waiting for Los Blancos to agree a fee with Manchester City.
Moretto himself had previously reported that Rodri had agreed personal terms with Real Madrid, a week ago.
However, negotiations with Manchester City never really progressed meaningfully. The Premier League heavyweights were holding out for a fee of around €70 million or more, while the Merengues were hoping to bring it down to around €50 million or less.
At the same time, the Spanish capital club were also involved in intense negotiations with RB Leipzig for Yan Diomande, not to forget the contract talks with Vinicius Jr.
With all of this going on, it appears that Real Madrid seemingly took their eye off the ball when it comes to Rodri, who decided he had waited enough and has now given his okay to Barcelona.
Economic terms agreed
In fact, Moretto reports that Rodri has now agreed economic terms of his contract with Barcelona, leaving Real Madrid without their priority target to reinforce the midfield.
The update further states that Barça have assured the Spanish international that they will try and move forward in negotiations with Manchester City without any delays.
The presence of several of Rodri’s Spain teammates at the Catalan club also played a role as many of them spoke to him to convince him to move to the Spotify Camp Nou.
It now remains to be seen whether Real Madrid decide to pursue another midfielder or decide to trust their current options.
According to TeamTalk, Real Madrid have joined the growing list of clubs monitoring Gabriel Rajkovic, a 15-year-old winger whose rapid development at Valerenga has already attracted attention from several of Europe’s leading sides.
The Merengues are known for keeping an eye on exciting young talent across the globe and it seems that Rajkovic’s exploits in Norway, with the first team, have alerted them.
Real Madrid keeping tabs on Rajkovic
As per the report, Real Madrid are among a host of clubs closely following the progress of the young forward.
Rajkovic holds both Norwegian and Serbian nationality and has emerged as one of the most promising young players in Norway.
His development has not gone unnoticed, with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund also understood to be monitoring him.
However, at this point, it is Arsenal and Chelsea, who are understood to be leading the charge for Rajkovic, having compiled a detailed dossier on the teenage prodigy after extensive scouting.
On top of that, the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have all watched Rajkovic in recent weeks.
Real Madrid could therefore face significant competition if they decide to step up their interest in a player who has already made an impression at senior level.
Making an impact at just 15
Rajkovic was handed a promotion to the Valerenga first-team squad in January earlier this year, when he was only 14 years old.
Following that, he signed a new contract with the club in March, when he turned 15, committing to the club until 2028.
Despite being only 15, the winger has already begun gaining experience in first-team football. In all, he has made 14 senior appearances for the Norwegian outfit, scoring three and assisting one goal.
Rajkovic has also represented Norway Under-16s, making two appearances and scoring once despite being younger than many of his teammates.
Those numbers become more impressive when his age and stage of development are taken into account.
Real Madrid have built a reputation for identifying young talent well before players reach their peak, and Rajkovic has now emerged as another name on their scouting radar.
But given the number of clubs in the race, signing the teenage wonderkid will not be easy.
