Three clubs interested
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Few top European clubs are set to see more turnover than Spanish giants Real Madrid this summer. Not only have the LaLiga side parted ways with Carlo Ancelotti and replaced him with Xabi Alonso, but they’ve also wasted no time at all in rebuilding their squad. To date Los Blancos have spent €167.5 million on signing Dean Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras, Franco Mastantuono and Trent Alexander-Arnold but have so far made no money departures, with Luka Modrić, Jesús Vallejo and Lucas Vázquez departing as free transfers.
This seems likely to change in the coming months. While there are a number of Madrid first team players that could be sold, one star stands out among all others as one of the most talked about players in this current transfer window: Brazilian winger Rodrygo. For much of 2025, the winger has been speculatively linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabéu and after just one start and three games left on the bench at the Club World Cup, it seems as though he’ll play little part in Alonso’s plans going forward. But why would Rodrygo be looking to depart Madrid so soon after so much success with the club and which clubs would be tempted to make a move for the winger if he were to become available in the transfer market in the summer?
Why would Rodrygo leave Real Madrid?
Such is the sheer wealth of talent to hand in Alonso’s team, that rather than being a particularly out-of-form player, Rodrygo simply seems to be the worst of a fantastic group of players. No fewer than 25 goals and assists in all competitions last season would be a return that any forward would cherish, but the problem for the 24-year-old winger is simply that Jude Bellingham also bagged 30 goals and assists, Vinicius Jr had 41 goal contributions to his name, and new signing Kylian Mbappé picked up 49. As such, Rodrygo’s impressive return simply pales in comparison to Madrid’s bigger stars. And that has led to many speculating over his future at the club.
“Rodrygo is being heavily criticized in Spain and is likely to be sold,” noted Iván Turmo, Spain Area Manager for Transfermarkt, when asked about the recent reports surrounding the Brazilian star at the end of last season. “Real Madrid needs to reinforce other positions and the money from his sale could be used for that.” When asked about Rodrygo’s form and continued presence in Ancelotti’s starting XI last season, Turmo added: “Fans have been demanding changes in the line-up lately. The tactical mistake was to sign Mbappé when you already had the best left winger in the world. Rodrygo is being criticised because he hasn’t scored in a while, his eternal presence alone is the supposed problem.”
Indeed, Ancelotti’s reluctance to drop Rodrygo and fully rebuild the squad around an Mbappé-Bellingham-Vinicius Jr attacking trio ultimately led to many Madrid fans criticising the Italian manager’s supposed stubbornness and, indirectly, resentment grew around Rodrygo’s continued role on the right wing. “This stubbornness has cost the Italian his job, in addition to the poor results in terms of titles,” noted Turmo. “Ancelotti has always insisted on using Rodrygo because he is a very conservative coach. He always plays with the same attacking trio despite the bad results. He’s a guy who dies with his team.” With the Spanish giants in desperate need of player income after an expensive summer spending spree on the four, aformentioned signings, it seems as though selling Rodrygo and using the funds from his sale to fund the new players would make perfect sense.
Who could sign Rodrygo next season?
While Rodrygo’s departure from Madrid appears increasingly likely with each passing day, where he would actually go this season remains a bit of a mystery. Highly speculative reports from Spanish radio station El Larguero suggested that the Brazilian winger had turned down an extremely lucrative offer from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal in January, but Sky Sports in Switzerland recently reported that the player has no interest in heading to the Middle East this summer.
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Rodrygo |
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A far more likely scenario for Rodrygo is a move to the Premier League. According to reporter Sacha Tavolieri, Liverpool have made an formal expression of interest in the winger and made Madrid aware of their interest to sign him this summer. The Anfield club face interest for a number of their players, such as Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez and Harvey Elliott and all three could be sold to facilitate a move for the Brazilian talent.
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Rodrygo |
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Another English club that have been heavily linked wuth a move for the player are Arsenal. However, the North London club already have already spent close to €90m signing Martín Zubimendi, Christian Nørgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga and are also set to sign Cristhian Mosquera, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyökeres, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will have the funds to match Madrid’s asking price.
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Rodrygo |
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| Right Winger | ||||||||||
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Elsewhere, speculative reporting in Germany has suggest that Bayern Munich could turn to Rodrygo to plug the hole on their left wing. Following the departure of Leroy Sané, the club have made offers for Nick Woltemade and Luis Diaz, but both have proven to be below the asking price for their respectice clubs. As such, Rodrygo may prove to be a better option for the Bundesliga giants but it remains to be seen whether they’ll make an official bid.
