, via Wikimedia Commons">Rodrygo Bernabeu Real Madrid
Pritaneon Oriol Ventura Pedrol, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rodrygo is growing unsettled at Real Madrid and the Brazilian international is expecting to leave the Bernabeu at the end of the ongoing season.
There have been rumours that Rodrygo is not happy about continuously playing out of position and the winger wants a new challenge. He was linked with an exit last year as well but this time, Rodrygo has multiple suitors.
Arsenal are the side who have been most prominently linked with the 24-year-old as Mikel Arteta wants a replacement for Gabriel Martinelli. However, according to the latest report, Chelsea wish to sign him and the Blues have already made contact with the player’s entourage. Madrid are willing to let Rodrygo leave for around €100 million but as of now, Chelsea are ready to spend around €80 million on him.
Is Rodrygo worth €80 million in today’s market?
Rodrygo has been with Madrid’s senior side since the 2019/20 campaign and the winger has been a consistent performer for Los Blancos. Unlike the other superstars in the team, Rodrygo is a proper team player who is always willing to sacrifice personal glory in order to help the team.
The 2022/23 season was by far his best campaign with 29 goal contributions in 57 appearances and this season he has scored 14 and assisted 9 goals in all competitions. In the LaLiga this season, Rodrygo has an xG of 4 and he’s created 49 major chances with a passing accuracy of 90.9%.
The 24-year-old is blessed with superb skills and his off-the-ball movement make him a great asset during counter-attacking situations.
Rodrygo’s current market value is €100 million which means Madrid are well within their rights to ask for the same amount as the transfer fee. Chelsea are testing the waters with their €80 million but even if they have to pay around €90 million, the Blues will not consider it bad business.
Will Chelsea overtake Arsenal in this transfer race?
Rodrygo prefers to play on the left flank which is why Arsenal have been so eager to sign him but even at Chelsea he will be able to play on the left-hand side without any competition.
Enzo Maresca will get rid of Mudryk and Jadon Sancho so Rodrygo can slot in perfectly and if the Blues sell Noni Madueke, the Brazilian international can play in tandem with Pedro Neto on the right-hand side as well.
Arsenal will need to offload Gabriel Martinelli before they can convince Rodrygo to make a switch but that will not be a problem for Chelsea.
Also, if the Blues can qualify for the Champions League they won’t mind paying a premium for the winger but we seriously doubt whether Arsenal can afford to pay such a steep transfer fee. The Gunners need to sort out other problematic areas and right now, a new left-winger is not a priority for Mikel Arteta.