If one thing has been clear at Real Madrid for months, it is that they need to strengthen their midfield. The club has been patching things up, looking for solutions within the squad with varying degrees of success, but the truth is that since Toni Kroos left, they have been missing a player with his profile. Xabi Alonso has asked the club for a player of this profile, and Florentino is clear that in order to invest, he has to convince him, and he has one name in mind: Rodri. Manchester City will not make it easy for him to leave, but Real Madrid has set a price that it would be willing to pay to have the Spanish international in its ranks.
Rodri is the target
The problem in Real Madrid’s midfield is nothing new. The club has gone from having the best midfield of the last decade with Toni Kroos and Modric to being left orphaned. Xabi Alonso wants reinforcements, and the club wants those reinforcements to be Rodri. The midfielder has been on the Whites’ agenda for years, but he is an almost impossible signing as he has a contract in place and Pep Guardiola refuses to let go of a key player in his system.
A priori, it does not seem like a signing that will happen this summer for several reasons. Manchester City is not willing to negotiate, and the player’s three-figure price tag is not affordable for a club like Madrid, which has already invested more than $180 million this summer. In addition, Real Madrid wants to wait and see how he responds after playing the entire season following the complicated injury that kept him out of action for much of last season.
The price that would make his signing viable
On Cadena SER’s El Larguero, journalist Antón Meana has stated that Madrid will only sign Rodri if City is willing to sell him for around €100 million. If this does not happen, the club will not sign the Spanish midfielder and, as he is the only option that convinces them, they will be left without reinforcements for the midfield.
“The only one who fits right now is Rodri, but it’s not a viable option at the moment. City won’t sell him and we need to see him play after his injury. It’s a deal that Madrid has in mind and they’re not ruling out pursuing it this summer or next. Right now, the answer is not to sign a number 5 unless Rodri becomes available. They’ll go with what they have and not sign a midfielder that Xabi Alonso wanted. They don’t think there’s a number 5 that fits. To get him, it would take €100 million and City letting him go,” said Meana.
The weight falls on Arda Güler
There are still about 40 days left in the transfer window and anything is possible, but it seems unlikely that Rodri will become available and therefore no midfielder will arrive at Real Madrid. If they have to make do with what they have, the pressure falls on Arda Güler. The player himself acknowledged: “He asks me to play like a number 10, to get involved in the game, to direct and improve the team.” This is something he has done perfectly in several of the teams he has played for in that role.
However, there are things to improve, as was evident against PSG, where they had neither possession nor control of the game. Xabi Alonso is clear about this, but he has also said that he needs to improve his play. “We all have to help him, we have to give him balance. I said it yesterday, there are things he needs to improve, but you improve by playing,” he said, and the young Turk will have to do so, especially in Bellingham’s absence.