Real Madrid have made their final decision on selling Aurelien Tchouameni to Man Utd to help pay for the Rodri transfer.
Real Madrid have decided to sell midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni to help fund a move for Manchester City star Rodri, according to reports.
Rodri, who just won the World Cup with Spain, has one year left on his contract at City. While City want to keep him, the 30-year-old seems interested in returning to Spain. He originally left Atletico Madrid, Real’s city rivals, to join City in 2019.
Sky Sports News says Real have contacted City and are ready to offer between £43 million and £51 million to sign Rodri. Under their new manager Jose Mourinho, Real has been signing top players like Bernardo Silva, Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate, and Denzel Dumfries to build a strong team.
Rodri, who has won both the Ballon d’Or and World Cup, would be a highlight signing this summer, along with a deal expected for 19-year-old winger Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig, who’s valued at more than £100 million.
After these new signings, Real will need to sell some players. The Sun reports that they are now ready to let go of Tchouameni, who is also being targeted by Manchester United.
Manchester United is reshaping their midfield under new head coach Michael Carrick. They have already spent over £70 million on Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans but might still need another midfielder. Tchouameni has been linked with United throughout the summer.
ESPN reported earlier that Tchouameni had agreed to a new contract with Real until 2031, though there hasn’t been an official announcement. Now, The Sun says Real is prepared to sell the French midfielder after strong interest from United.
Mourinho, who wanted to keep Tchouameni before Rodri became an option, might end up selling the player directly to United — a club he managed from 2016 to 2018.
United’s recent transfers make a move for Tchouameni possible. Besides Santos and Tielemans, they’ve also signed goalkeeper Karl Darlow on a free transfer and brought in two young academy players, Tynan Thompson from Spurs and goalkeeper Kit Margetson from Swansea.
On the other hand, United have reduced their wage bill by letting Casemiro and Jadon Sancho go, both of whom reportedly earned around £600,000 per week. Tyrell Malacia left on a free transfer, Napoli bought Rasmus Hojlund for £38 million after a successful loan, and goalkeeper Andre Onana returned to Trabzonspor for a second loan season.