English Premier League
Real Madrid ‘furious’ after Rodri chooses Barcelona over move to Bernabeu
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and manager Jose Mourinho are reported to have reacted angrily after Manchester City midfielder Rodri rejected a move to the Spanish club before later reaching an agreement with Barcelona.
The response represents a different account of the mood inside Real Madrid following the Spain international’s decision. Earlier reports had suggested that the club accepted Rodri’s choice calmly and was not particularly troubled by the failure to sign him.
Foot Mercato, citing Spanish newspaper AS, reported that Real Madrid understood and respected Rodri’s decision. The club was said to have wished the Manchester City star well as he pursued the path he had selected.
However, Spanish publication Sport has offered a contrasting version of events. According to its report, Perez was extremely unhappy that a transfer he believed was effectively secured did not take place. Mourinho was also said to have been deeply angered when he learned that Real Madrid had lost the opportunity to complete the deal for Rodri.
The report attributed Perez’s frustration to the belief that the midfielder’s arrival had been a settled matter. The Real Madrid president had reportedly been persuaded by two trusted figures at the club, Jose Angel Sanchez and Juni Calafat, that the transfer was within reach.
That confidence made the outcome especially difficult for Perez, according to Sport. The report said the disappointment caused by Rodri’s decision was matched only by Mourinho’s considerable anger after the club missed out on the player.
The conflicting reports underline the uncertainty surrounding Real Madrid’s internal reaction to the transfer decision. One account presents the club as respectful and composed, while the other describes senior figures as furious at losing a deal they regarded as almost complete.
Rodri’s decision initially involved refusing Real Madrid’s approach before he subsequently agreed with Barcelona. That sequence of events is at the centre of the latest account of the episode, with the player’s choice reportedly causing significant dissatisfaction among important figures at the Bernabeu.
AS and Foot Mercato previously portrayed Real Madrid as accepting the midfielder’s position without resentment. Sport, however, has claimed that both Perez and Mourinho viewed the failed move far more negatively.
The report places particular emphasis on the role of Sanchez and Calafat in convincing Perez that Rodri would join Real Madrid. Their assurances reportedly helped create the expectation that the transaction would be completed, making the midfielder’s eventual agreement with Barcelona an especially unwelcome development for the club’s hierarchy.
No further details about the proposed transfer or the terms of Rodri’s agreement with Barcelona were provided in the reports.
