Real Madrid News
‘Zero percent chance’: Real Madrid will not sign World Cup hero despite growing speculation
Rodri was named the best player at the recently concluded FIFA World Cup, and the development rekindled speculation on Real Madrid’s interest in the player.
After all, the midfielder was in fine form for Los Blancos throughout the event and showed the world exactly why he is one of the best controllers of the modern game.
At a time when Real Madrid are looking for that exact profile, it thus appears to be a great opportunity to pass on for the club. After all, the player dreams of a return to Spain as well and has rejected several renewal offers for the same.
Real Madrid will not move for Rodri
As reported by Cadena SER (h/t The Madrid Zone) recently, however, there is no chance that Real Madrid will sign the Manchester City star this summer. The club are refusing to sign him as matters stand.
Real Madrid made a decision on their stance regarding Rodri before the World Cup, and refuse to change on that position even after Spain won the World Cup. There is a zero per cent chance the deal goes through, as furthered by the Spanish outlet.
Needless to say, the decision comes as a rather harsh one considering how the club are keeping a stubborn position on a player who recently was handed the Golden Ball award at the FIFA World Cup.
There may not be a midfield signing
Jose Mourinho has been calling for Real Madrid to make a new midfield recruitment for a long time now, especially given how last season went for the team in the middle of the park.
For long, Los Blancos thus scouted profiles including Enzo Fernandez, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Rodri.
The move, however, was always subject to the club achieving sales in midfield, something they have been unable to pull off so far. Eduardo Camavinga has been linked with a big-money move, but the player is actively resisting any outward transfer.
As matters stand, Real Madrid thus have their hands tied and may well not pull off any midfield arrival this summer.
Bernardo Silva remains the only new signing capable of playing in midfield, although he too is expected to feature on the right wing and not in the middle of the park.
According to MARCA, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is eagerly awaiting the best version of Bernardo Silva.
The Portuguese midfielder, who arrived in the summer, is expected to become a key figure in a Real Madrid side that is still searching for greater control and creativity in midfield.
Inter Milan game exposed Real Madrid’s weakness
Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League meeting with Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu highlighted what many see as the major weakness of Mourinho’s new Real Madrid.
The lack of control in midfield turned the match into a chaotic contest, with the Merengues ultimately surviving thanks in large part to another outstanding performance from Thibaut Courtois.
While the forwards were guilty of wasting several opportunities, Real Madrid struggled to manage the game for long periods.
And, Mourinho believes he has an answer to that problem in Bernardo Silva.
Bernardo’s absence was badly felt
Bernardo missed the Inter match through suspension, alongside Arda Guler and Eduardo Camavinga.
With the midfield depleted, Mourinho tried to compensate by pushing Trent further forward to help Federico Valverde with the creative duties.
The experiment did not work particularly well, and it is unlikely to be repeated unless circumstances leave Mourinho with no alternative.
The failure to sign Rodri was a blow for Real Madrid, but the club and Mourinho believed they had at least partially addressed the problem by securing Bernardo’s arrival earlier in the summer.
The Portuguese midfielder had been the creative heartbeat of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, and Real Madrid won the race for his signature despite competition from Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and other clubs.
A slow start, but Mourinho needs Bernardo’s creativity
Mourinho’s intervention proved decisive in persuading Bernardo to choose Real Madrid, but his influence in the team has been limited so far.
The coach publicly called out the midfielder for not working hard enough physically during the pre-season, which may help explain his modest involvement at the start of the campaign.
Bernardo has played just 205 minutes across four matches, starting two of them.
His best performances actually came during pre-season, when he stood out as the team’s new metronome while the squad was still adapting to Mourinho’s ideas.
That process is continuing, with Bernardo playing only a little over half an hour across Real Madrid’s last three matches.
The Portuguese is being eagerly awaited by his manager, particularly because Mourinho does not currently plan to move Guler into a deeper role.
The coach believes Guler is more effective when operating closer to goal, although he sees the Turkish international eventually playing in a deeper role.
For now, though, that leaves Bernardo with an important responsibility in the build-up.
After playing more than 50 matches for Manchester City last season, and then participating in the World Cup he still needs to build his physical condition before taking on a greater role in Real Madrid’s midfield, with Mourinho waiting for his best version.
