Real Madrid may need to take their search for a new midfielder elsewhere after the agent of Manchester City midfielder Rodri reportedly confirmed the World Cup winner’s decision to join Barcelona instead.
After seeing negotiations over Rodri stall, Real Madrid’s move for the veteran midfielder appears to have been hijacked by Barcelona, and Cadena SER claim to have received confirmation of that decision from Rodri’s agent.
Pablo Barquero, who represents Rodri, is said to have confirmed that talks with Madrid began shortly after the World Cup, but no agreement over a transfer fee was ever reached. While Rodri is said to have been appreciative of the class displayed by Madrid throughout, he has opted to join Barcelona instead. The report claims that Barquero has confirmed that decision to both clubs.
That leaves Real Madrid once again searching for the heir to the throne left collecting dust since the departures of deep-lying playmakers Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos.
If Madrid do dip back into the market, here are six players they could pursue.
Enzo Fernández
There are a few elephants in the room here. Not only have Madrid publicly confirmed they have no plans to sign Enzo Fernández from Chelsea, but questions over his qualities as a deep-lying playmaker are valid.
Fernández may have done his best work as a box-crashing midfielder in recent years, but there can be no denying his passing range and he may just need a little training to maximize his potential in a deeper role.
He is quite clearly keen to make the move, so personal terms would not be an issue, but meeting Chelsea’s asking price of around $161.5 million (£120 million) is likely to prove difficult.
Martín Zubimendi
Will Madrid live to regret not granting Xabi Alonso’s wish to sign midfielder Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad last summer?
Zubimendi took his talents to Arsenal instead, instantly sending his price tag flying through the roof, but Madrid may sense to right the wrongs of last summer as Arsenal prepare to add Bruno Guimarães to a crowded midfield unit.
Spain’s World Cup winner now seems destined to share his minutes with Guimarães and Declan Rice, and that is before you consider how club captain Martin Ødegaard or the resurgent Myles Lewis-Skelly fit into plans. If Arsenal would even entertain discussions over Zubimendi’s future, Madrid should be all over it.
Adam Wharton
If José Mourinho wants more experience in his midfield, he may need some convincing to take a chance on 22-year-old Adam Wharton, who has undoubtedly passed the eye test during his two years in the Premier League.
Wharton has dazzled in a deep midfield role for Crystal Palace, shining with his composure on the ball and ability to create things from all areas of the pitch. Comparisons to Modrić or Kroos are obviously premature, but yet do not appear particularly outlandish, with his playing style clearly checking more than a few boxes.
Palace know what they have with Wharton, whose price tag has been inflated by both his age and his English passport, but Madrid could jump this summer before his value flies even higher.
Manuel Locatelli
Is Manuel Locatelli, the 28-year-old captain of a struggling Juventus side, as flashy as World Cup Golden Ball winner Rodri? No, of course not, but flashy isn’t what Madrid need right now.
Locatelli is the sort of midfielder that gleefully drops into defense and lets the rest of his teammates steal the headlines. His job is to keep the ball moving, playing almost like a quarterback as those around him make the runs and hope to have caught his constantly scanning eyes.
It’s the sort of job we watched Modrić and Kroos perform to perfection year after year at the Bernabéu. Locatelli may not bring that star power, but if he can play conductor and elevate those around him, fans would quickly take to him.
Angelo Stiller
Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller is one that has been on the fringes of Madrid’s shortlist for a while now. Perhaps it is time to move him towards the top.
At 25 years old, Stiller hits that sweet spot of both experience and longevity, and while he has never tasted life on a stage as grand as Madrid, a handful of cameo appearances as a youngster at Bayern Munich will show he is familiar with the weight of certain badges.
Signing him could easily be the simplest avenue for Madrid to pursue now. Stuttgart may be a Champions League team but they do not possess the financial strength to ignore a call from Madrid.
Aleix García
Aleix García was, like the rest of Madrid’s Spanish contingent, disappointed to be left out of Luis de la Fuente’s World Cup squad. A transfer to the Bernabéu would almost certainly improve things for everyone.
New signing Marc Cucurella spared Madrid’s blushes after De la Fuente’s squad initially did not include a single representative from Los Blancos. Signing Bayer Leverkusen’s García, a born-again regista who has admitted he would welcome a call from one of La Liga’s top sides, could be an easy route back to the top.
García is well aware that the fact he just turned 29 may harm his appeal to clubs like Madrid, but Mourinho is doing things differently at the Bernabéu this summer and a cut-price deal for a short-term target may no longer be a sin in the eyes of president Florentino Pérez.
