, via Wikimedia Commons">Rodrygo Bernabeu Real Madrid
Pritaneon Oriol Ventura Pedrol, CC BY-SA 3.0
Arsenal have been growing confident that despite all the competition, they will be able to sign Rodrygo once he decides to leave Real Madrid, according to Graeme Bailey of GMS.
Rodrygo has grown frustrated in recent months because the Brazilian international clearly prefers playing on the left wing but because Real Madrid have Vinicius Jr on that side, he has been forced to play on the right flank. Rodrygo seems to have grown frustrated and now, he wants to leave the club and find a fresh challenge next season.
Los Blancos are reluctant to lose such an important player but Florentino Perez will not stand in his way. If a club is willing to pay around £85-100 million they will be able to sign the 24-year-old.
Why is Mikel Arteta so keen to sign the winger?
Earlier this week, there have been reports that Mikel Arteta is not happy with Gabriel Martinelli’s performances this season and the manager will not mind cashing in on him during the summer window.
The Gunners have been linked with Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon as a potential replacement but instead of paying £80-85 million for the Englishman, they will be more than happy to spend that amount on Rodrygo. The Madrid man wants to play on the left wing regularly and if Arsenal can get rid of Martinelli, Rodrygo can slot straight in.
Will Arsenal be able to land Rodrygo without any obstacles?
Arsenal want to make a number of signings in order to strengthen their squad and for that, they will need a fairly large transfer budget. However, if they do have a genuine chance of signing Rodrygo, the management should not hesitate one bit.
Rodrygo might not be a superstar but the 24-year-old has been a steady and consistent performer for Real Madrid in the previous three years. Last season, he made 25 goal contributions in 51 appearances and he’s almost touched that number this campaign as well.
(La Liga 24/25) Stats
Appearances 30
Goals 6
Assists 5
Passing Accuracy 91%
Shots on Target 20
Chances Created 49
Successful Dribbles 52%
Arsenal will get full value for whatever they spend on the winger but securing this transfer will not be easy at all. Apart from the Gunners, Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool and PSG have all registered their interest in the forward and almost all of them have the financial power to meet Madrid’s demand.
Mikel Arteta’s side won’t mind paying £85-100 million on Rodrygo but if he demands a massive rise in his salary then it will be very difficult for the Gunners to match that. The Brazilian currently earns around £205,000 per week at the Bernabeu while Arsenal’s highest earner this season is Kai Havertz at £280,000 per week.
Anything above £320,000 per week and Arsenal will have to shift their focus elsewhere.