Real Madrid News
Real Madrid prepared to spend €16-18 million on La Liga midfield talent
Real Madrid’s defeat to Liverpool last night highlighted the lack of a creative presence from midfield as they simply failed to muster up any major attacking threat at Anfield.
It has seemingly prompted the club management to consider addressing the issue by making a signing, with Los Blancos now revisiting their interest in Elche midfield prospect Rodrigo Mendoza.
Real Madrid ready to push for Mendoza
Indeed, according to Defensa Central, Real Madrid are once again targeting Rodrigo Mendoza, the young Elche star who has attracted widespread attention across Spain.
The 20-year-old midfielder has been on the radar of several major clubs since last season, when Real Madrid seriously considered bringing him into Castilla.
However, Elche’s promotion and their decision to promote him to the first team prevented his departure. The situation, however, could be very different in 2026.
Real Madrid now intend to take his signing very seriously in the coming months, as both the club and coach Xabi Alonso are highly interested in the player.
The plan is to open negotiations with Elche at the end of the season, with the aim of signing him but potentially allowing him to remain there on loan for another year.
Although his market value is currently €9 million, according to Transfermarkt, Real Madrid understand they may have to pay between €16 and €18 million to complete the deal, possibly less if Elche are relegated at the end of the season.
As long as the transfer fee does not exceed that range, Real Madrid are open to finalising the signing of the young midfielder.
With both Alonso and Juni Calafat in favour of the move, all that remains is for Florentino Perez to give the green light for Real Madrid to begin formal steps towards signing the midfielder, who is viewed as one of the future greats of Spanish football.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
