Liverpool interest?
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Real Madrid’s season seems to be ending in complete turmoil, with a number of key figures from last season’s Champions League success set to depart the LaLiga giants at the end of the season. The fate of manager Carlo Ancelotti seems to be all but sealed, with the Italian tactician widely expected to take on the role of Brazil national team manager in the summer. But following him out the exit door may be one of the club’s biggest stars, in the form of right winger Rodrygo, whose future at Los Blancos seems to be getting less and less likely by the day.
According to a new report from Marca, the Brazilian star is seriously considering a departure from the Spanish capital at the end of the season. The publication claims that the young winger has been “locked away in his house thinking about his future” since the club’s defeat to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday. 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 Ancelotti’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 23 goals and assists in all competitions this season would be a return that any forward would cherish, but the problem for the 24-year-old winger is simply that Jude Bellingham has bagged 26 goals and assists, Vinicius Jr has 34 goal contributions to his name, and new signing Kylian Mbappé already has 37. 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. “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, Turmo added: “Fans have been demanding changes in the line-up and 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 has led to many Madrid fans criticising the Italian manager’s supposed stubbornness and, indirectly, resentment has grown around Rodrygo’s continued role on the right wing. “This stubbornness is going to 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 an expensive rebuild in defence and midfield, where long-term replacements for the likes of Antonio Rüdiger, Dani Carvajal and Luka Modric will be key priorities in the summer, it seems as though selling Rodrygo and using the funds from his sale to fund players in new positions would make perfect sense. But, according to Marca, the final decision will be made once the new manager has arrived and opted to either keep or sell Rodrygo. “The future coach will have to decide whether he wants Rodrygo or not, of course,” concluded Turmo, with many expecting Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso to take over in the summer. “But financially it would be a good sale, and his signing should already have been amortised. Madrid desperately needs full-backs on both flanks and centre-backs, although we’ll see if they finally buy them or not.”
Who could sign Rodrygo next season?
While Rodrygo’s departure from Madrid appears increasingly likely with each passing day, where he would actually go next 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 it remains to be seen whether Rodrygo would opt for a similar move to the Middle East this summer or look to continue his career in European football. While reports linking the player to other European clubs will likely become more prominent if the player’s departure in the summer becomes more evident, the only club that has remained a reported admirer in Rodrygo over the course of this current season are none other than Liverpool.
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Rodrygo |
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| Right Winger | ||||||||||
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According to the Liverpool Echo, the Anfield club are long-time admirers of the Madrid star, with Fenway Sports Group CEO, Michael Edwards, still reportedly harbouring ambitions of signing the 24-year-old forward. Whether that would be a possibility for the Anfield club, following the decision to sign Mohamed Salah up to a new contract, remains to be seen. But for now the Premier League giants seem to be at the front of the queue, if Madrid and Rodrygo are set to consider their options in the forthcoming transfer window.
