Real Madrid News
Real Madrid outcast has reached an agreement with La Liga rivals over summer move
Having parted ways with as many as five first-team players already this summer, Real Madrid look poised to bid goodbye to another star in the coming weeks with Alvaro Odriozola staring at the exit doors.
The Spanish right-back has been out of favour under Carlo Ancelotti and has been heavily linked with an exit this summer, especially with his contract set to expire in 2024.
Odriozola’s former club, Real Sociedad, have shown interest in re-signing the defender, and as per reports relayed by SPORT, the right-back and the Basque club have reached an agreement over a transfer.
Now, all that remains for a transfer to be completed is for Real Madrid and Real Sociedad to agree on the terms of the transfer.
Odriozola is a product of the Real Sociedad youth setup and came to Real Madrid in 2018 after impressing at his boyhood club.
But things did not work out for the 27-year-old at the Santiago Bernabeu and loan spells away at Bayern Munich and Fiorentina also failed to reignite his career.
An exit looked likely last summer, but Ancelotti opted to retain the defender although Odriozola barely played during the 2022/23 campaign.
Now, though, a departure seems set in stone and the defender appears to be on his way back to Real Sociedad, with an agreement in place between the player and the club.
The two clubs will now negotiate and close the operation. Real Madrid were hoping to receive a nominal fee for the departure of the right-back, but there is a good chance that they let him leave for free.
Odriozola has been named in the squad list for the pre-season tour of the US. So, it remains to be seen when the transfer is finalised.
Bernardo Silva was one of Real Madrid’s headline signings last summer. The Portuguese midfielder arrived on a free transfer from Manchester City and appeared destined to become the creative successor to Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the middle of the park.
Indeed, with the club having not signed a new central midfielder, many within Real Madrid saw the veteran star as a solution to the issue.
Manager Jose Mourinho made him a starter from the very beginning in pre-season, but not in his usual role on the right. Instead, he deployed his compatriot as a deep-lying playmaker in the midfield double pivot.
A change in circumstances
Silva failed to have the expected influence when operating in a deeper role in midfield in the chances he got.
Combined with the emergence of Arda Guler and Aurelien Tchouameni’s return to fitness, the Portuguese international has now lost his place in the starting line-up and dropped to the bench.
Bernardo’s situation became particularly striking against Villarreal this past Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu, when he did not play a single minute.
Limited opportunities under Mourinho
Bernardo has played six matches for Real Madrid, starting three and coming on as a substitute in another three.
He did not feature against Villarreal or Elche, while his only appearance in the last three matches was a little over 10 minutes against Atletico Madrid. He was not used regularly by the Portugal national team during the international break either.
Across Real Madrid’s eight La Liga fixtures, Silva has accumulated just 282 minutes of playing time.
The Champions League now presents another opportunity for the former Manchester City captain, who has yet to make his European debut for Real Madrid this season.
He missed the match against Inter Milan because he was still serving a suspension carried over from his time at the Etihad Stadium last season.
It remains to be seen whether Mourinho will give him an opportunity against AS Roma in the coming week.
For now, the midfielder’s reduced playing time suggests that the Portuguese coach has lost some of his faith in a player who arrived with high expectations after leaving Manchester City.
