Real Madrid pulls its hair out over Rodri's non-signing

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Elche Real Madrid

15/09/26 21:30:00

10.00 5.50 1.27

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Rodri is now a player for Barcelona, and the Real Madrid transfer market ended the summer without incorporating the playmaker midfielder they had identified as a priority. The Spanish international, aged 30, signed with Barça until June 2030, in a transfer that left the white team without their first choice for the position.

Rodri leaves Real Madrid with an unresolved issue

Madrid had been negotiating for Rodri during the summer and had even put forward a verbal proposal close to €50 million to Manchester City, as reported by Cadena SER. The deal did not go through, and the player ended up choosing Barcelona, which finalized his signing for an amount around €70 million.

The immediate consequence in their planning: José Mourinho's team started the season with Tchouaméni, Valverde, Camavinga, and Bernardo Silva as main midfield options, but without a specifically signed player to take on the playmaker role that had led to the pursuit of Rodri.

The debate is not new. At the end of August, an AS analysis positioned Martín Zubimendi as one of the alternatives that could emerge after Rodri's rejection, though the midfielder is already with Arsenal, and coach Mikel Arteta denied in August any situation hinting at his departure.

💼 Madrid is already working to rectify their mistake with Rodri

👀 The white club is pulling strings to secure a central midfielder in the winter transfer market

✍️ @Jordigil https://t.co/QBJ6B0ddUH

— Diario SPORT (@sport) September 11, 2026

Real Madrid Looks to the Winter Transfer Market

This situation once again places Rodri at the center of Real Madrid's internal debate, not because there is a chance to recover the player. The contract with Barcelona until 2030 rules out any immediate scenario and compels the white club to seek another profile to correct their planning.

Furthermore, caution is required in the winter scenario. Available information does not confirm any completed signings or specific negotiations for a midfielder by January; in fact, in January 2026, the white management had decided against participating in the winter market, sticking to a policy of waiting until summer.

The 1-0 loss to Betis on September 7th once again highlighted the midfield construction, while Mourinho faces a schedule including matches against Rayo Vallecano, Elche, and Atlético Madrid before September ends.

Zubimendi is not an immediate solution

The name Martín Zubimendi emerges as part of the search but his contractual and sporting situation limits the chances of an operation in January. The player is at Arsenal, and Arteta publicly shut down rumors of a move to Real Madrid.

Therefore, Rodri now serves as a reference of planning misstep rather than a recoverable target. The next step for Real Madrid will be to determine before January if there is an alternative available in the market or if Mourinho will have to complete the season with the current midfield resources.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El Real Madrid se tira de los pelos con el no fichaje de Rodri