Real Madrid News
Mourinho pushed Real Madrid to sign Man City superstar but move ruled out
Real Madrid’s search for another central defender remains active despite an already busy summer in the transfer market, but one of Jose Mourinho’s preferred targets appears increasingly difficult to sign.
According to MARCA (h/t Madrid Xtra), the new Real Madrid manager has identified Manchester City defender Ruben Dias as his ideal addition at the heart of the defence.
However, the Premier League side has made its position clear by refusing to consider offers for one of the most important players on the roster.
Ruben Dias is Mourinho’s preferred target
Real Madrid have already strengthened several positions this summer through the arrivals of Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries, but the club’s transfer planning is not yet complete.
A new centre-back remains part of Mourinho’s plans, particularly if departures create additional space in the squad before the transfer window closes.
Several names have been linked with the Santiago Bernabeu in recent weeks, including Nico Schlotterbeck and Alessandro Bastoni, but the report claims Mourinho’s first choice has consistently been Ruben Dias.
The Portuguese international is admired for his leadership, experience and ability to organise a defensive line, qualities Mourinho considers essential for his new Real Madrid project.
Manchester City not interested in selling
Although Mourinho’s interest is genuine, Manchester City are not prepared to negotiate.
The report states that the Premier League club continue to regard Dias as one of the foundations of their defensive structure, making him effectively unavailable in the current market.
Even so, one factor could still become relevant if the situation changes later in the transfer window.
Dias is represented by Jorge Mendes, whose long-standing relationship with both Mourinho and Real Madrid has helped facilitate several high-profile transfers over the years.
While Mendes cannot alter Manchester City’s current position, his involvement could provide Madrid with an important line of communication should circumstances evolve in the future.
Real Madrid News
Rayo Vallecano manager names the one Real Madrid figure he would remove from the team
Rayo Vallecano face a daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on a wounded Real Madrid this weekend.
Life after Inigo Perez has not been kind to the Vallecas-based club, who have already had to travel to Camp Nou and now face a trip to the home of their city giants.
Speaking ahead of the game (h/t Madrid Xtra), Rayo Vallecano manager Benat San Jose was asked which Real Madrid player he would like to remove from the team before this weekend’s game.
Surprisingly, his choice was not Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior or Thibaut Courtois.
“Mourinho”
Asked which Madrid player he would take out of the upcoming contest, Benat jokingly chose the man sitting on the opposition bench.
“Which Real Madrid player I’d remove from the match against them? Mourinho,” Benat said with a laugh.
The answer might have been delivered jokingly, but the Rayo coach immediately made clear just how highly he rates the Portuguese manager.
“He’s one of the best managers in history,” he added.
It is significant praise ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the Bernabeu.
Madrid’s squad contains enough individual quality to give any opposition coach several obvious answers, but Benat instead highlighted the influence Mourinho can have over the entire team.
That has become particularly relevant since the Portuguese coach returned to Madrid. His early work has focused on making a talented group function with greater collective discipline.
Courtois and Madrid’s attack also praised
Benat did not stop with the manager.
“They also have one of the best GKs in history and one of the best attackers in history,” he said.
Benat will definitely have seen how Thibaut Courtois played against Inter Milan in midweek and will hope that version does not turn up again this weekend.
Even when teams manage to create opportunities against Madrid, they still have to beat one of the defining goalkeepers of his generation.
At the opposite end, Madrid possess attacking quality capable of turning a match on its head.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham can all decide matches single-handedly.
Madrid have a point to prove
Madrid are coming off a disappointing loss to Real Betis in La Liga last weekend and will come into this game with a point to prove.
They will want to ensure that the loss to the Andalusian club was a one-off and that they return to winning ways against Rayo.
Their title rivals, Barça, have been flying high in the league, scoring goals and picking opponents apart for fun.
Madrid need to ensure that they do not hand too much early incentive to Barça, and it remains to be seen how Los Blancos fare against Rayo Vallecano.
Jeremy Poynton
June 25, 2026 at 2:58 pm
Funny that “the greatest club in the world”™ always want to buy our players