Real Madrid look set to grant Jose Mourinho's wish of a world class midfield anchor by signing Rodri from Manchester City, even though he will likely cost upwards of 50 million euros despite having just one year left on his contract.
Rodri has been wanting his Santiago Bernabeu move for months now, and while Florentino Perez was consistently rejecting the transfer, his tremendous performances at the World Cup for champions Spain and the outpouring of support for him from the Madridistas have helped sway Rodri, who will join Yan Diomande as two recent superstar purchases.
However, Real Madrid fans still want one more blockbuster signing before the transfer window ends. And no, it is not Michael Olise, whom fans know the ship has sailed for this summer and are more than happy with the high upside Diomande addition from RB Leipzig.
Real Madrid can't be done on defense
No, Real Madrid fans still want a more beefy defense, and Jose Mourinho has been asking for a second center back signing in addition to Liverpool free agent Ibrahima Konate since the very beginning of the transfer window. And to this point, Real still have not made that second move, falling out of the Nico Schlotterbeck transfer race after the Borussia Dortmund star's injury at the World Cup.
It is anyone's guess as to who Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho could target in central defense, and Real will likely have to sell the unwanted Raul Asencio first, which could get complicated since Asencio, like midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, is digging in his heels to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu for another year.
Alessandro Bastoni and Aymeric Laporte are two names that have been mentioned now, but, otherwise, the field is pretty barren. But with Konate himself coming off a bad season, Eder Militao dealing with constant injuries, Antonio Rudiger on his last legs, and Dean Huijsen still developing, Mourinho really does need one more established star who can lock in and play at a world class level to shore up the back line in front of Thibaut Courtois.
Real Madrid fans love attacking fire power just as much as their president Florentino Perez does, and they appreciate the Yan Diomande signing for both the present and the future. But Real fans do notice how much the spine of the team needs to improve in defense, and once Rodri is secure as the No. 6, they want to see Mourinho get one more top defender in his team.
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