Rodri has been wanting a Real Madrid transfer for months, even publicly asking for one in March with overtures to the Royal White club despite his previous allegiance to Atletico Madrid, even stating that his past stint with the crosstown rivals would not impact his decision.
But Florentino Perez and Real Madrid have not entertained Rodri at all this summer, and even with Rodri performing at an exceptionally high level again this summer at the 2026 World Cup as Spain have reached the Final, there has been no renewed interest in the 30 year old Manchester City star.
In an appearance on Real Madrid insider Inaki Angulo's YouTube channel, ESPN journalist Rodra P gave two interesting reasons why the Royal Whites have not tried to sign Rodri despite his quality and experience.
Rodri has a big tactical flaw
The first is a bit on the nose and a familiar talking point for Madridistas, which is that Real Madrid do not want any problems between Vinicius Junior and Rodri after the latter snubbed the Brazilian superestar for the Ballon d'Or in 2024. But that does not seem to have any legs to it, since Rodri already said publicly that he respects Vini and that he would have picked Vini - and Vini does not seem to be the person to hold a grudge against someone for something that was not even their fault.
Now the second reason, though, is a lot more compelling, especially from a football sense, and is a tactical issue Real Madrid fans have not considered yet. Rodra says that Rodri is not quick enough to run back and his recover his position to defend counterattacks, which Real Madrid are worried could leave them exposed defensively.
So that is an excellent, tactically based reason to not sign Rodri. He would be expensive, especially this summer but even next year on his wages as a free agent, and if he does not have the pace to cope with all the counterattacks Real Madrid need their No. 6 to defend, then it is not a good fit at all. And from that vantage point, Rodri, despite being superior to Aurelien Tchouameni in his reading of the game on the ball, would be a downgrade from the current No. 6. Because for Real, the defensive solidity is paramount, and Jose Mourinho working with Tchou can get the Frenchman to be better than even Rodri, especially since Tchouameni is still only 26.
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