Real Madrid fans are preparing for the unveiling of Kylian Mbappe as the next superstar at the Santiago Bernabeu, and it will be quite the moment to take in. Los Merengues have been pursuing Mbappe for years, and they are finally in a position to pry him away from the French capital.
In the meantime, Los Blancos are juggling the rest of their squad as they await the French attacker’s arrival. Alvaro Odriozola – and maybe a few other out-of-favor players- could be headed to Serie A. There will be a crowd of options at forward, and Madridistas will have to wait and see if anyone leaves before the window ends.
Speaking on El Transistor, Alberto Pereiro stated that while Vinicius Junior remains unsellable, Rodrygo Goes and Marco Asensio both could leave.
Asensio is coming off a dreadful season and is no longer a fit on the right wing. Carlo Ancelotti will try transitioning him to the midfield, but few should have high hopes for him, given his poor defensive work rate.
As for Rodrygo, he is a surprise to see on the list of forwards who could be sold. Vinicius Junior has taken the spotlight with his three goals to start the season in less than an hour of play, but here are three reasons why the other young Brazilian winger at Real Madrid should not be sold either.
Rodrygo Goes has Real Madrid-level quality
It took mere seconds for Rodrygo Goes to show Real Madrid fans the kind of player he can be at the Santiago Bernabeu one day. The recently-signed man from Santos scored the second-fastest debut goal in club history, behind only the Brazilian Ronaldo, as he made a run up the pitch and cooly curled the ball past Osasuna’s keeper as a game-changing substitute. Just months later, he nailed a perfect hat-trick in the Champions League vs. Galatasaray.
Rodrygo had some good matches in the 2020-2021 season before suffering an injury in late December. He was breathtaking on the left side, full of chance-creation on the right, and even an impact sub off the bench.
While Rodrygo is not as electrifying as Vinicius on the ball, he is not that far off when he plays on the left-hand side in his preferred position. But because Vini is not as able to play on the right as Rodrygo, those chances come few and far between.
With six assists in LaLiga last season, Rodrygo showed he can make a difference in the final third. Technically, he’s fantastic, and he is a very intelligent and polished 20-year-old winger who is seemingly good at everything. With Kylian Mbappe on the left, Rodrygo could actually take another step forward with more space to operate on the right.
Rodrygo is already good enough to be a piece of the puzzle for Real Madrid, and he has a ton of potential. Selling him would be a huge mistake.