Barcelona’s Rodri addresses Real Madrid summer transfer attempt: ‘I am grateful’

Real Madrid lit up the transfer market this past summer by signing half a dozen players, with headline names such as Yan Diomande, Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konate.

But one name missing from that list was Rodri. The former Manchester City midfielder was destined for a move to Santiago Bernabeu, shortly after a successful World Cup campaign.

However, a late change of heart saw Rodri opted for a move to arch-rival Barcelona – a switch that was always going to create controversy.

Rodri opens up on failed Real Madrid move

One month into the new season, Rodri has now finally opened up about his transfer saga in the summer that involved a tug of war between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Rodri reveals Real Madrid were offering everything to sign him in the summer. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The midfielder admitted that Real Madrid were indeed keen on acquiring his services and were ready to throw everything at him.

“Real Madrid really tried hard. They wanted to sign me, we had direct talks and they came with everything they had to make it happen,” he told COPE (h/t Fabrizio Romano).

Of course, it wasn’t enough at the end as Rodri decided to join a Barcelona team, which had a large contingent of Spanish players who had shared the dressing room with him for La Roja.

Rodri, though, remains grateful for Real Madrid’s interest and was professional enough not to spill the beans about his meeting with Florentino Perez.

“They made my decision difficult. I am grateful. Speaking with Florentino Pérez too? I am not gonna say that,” he added.

Real Madrid are ruing missing out on Rodri

Jose Mourinho would have loved to have Rodri at his disposal. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Despite the many signings in the summer, Real Madrid missing out on Rodri was a major blow for the club as the real weakness in the team lies in midfield.

While Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham have both performed well, the calmness and stability has been lacking, with both Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga failing to deliver anything meaningful.

The midfield is often slow in transition the ball from defence to midfield, and the team, as a whole, is simply not committing enough, with Real Madrid ranking dead last in La Liga in terms of ground covered.

Having a player like Rodri could have fixed that problem for Jose Mourinho, who now has a fresh problem on his hands, as Valverde has picked up a fresh injury and could be out for a few weeks.