Leaving the Bernabeu this summer now feels a concrete possibility for Rodrygo.
The Brazilian, who isranked at no.6 in FourFourTwo's list of the best right wingers in the world right now, had fallen down the pecking order at Real Madrid since the arrival of Kylian Mbappe, and has fallen even further under new manager Xabi Alonso.
He is Arsenal's dream signing this summer, but Manchester City, off the back of a extremely disappointing season, have reportedly made contact with the player in a bid to hijack the gunners attempts to lure him to north London.
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Rodrygo Goes of Real Madrid CF looks on during the La Liga EA Sports match between Real Madrid CF and Real Betis Balompié at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 01, 2024 in Madrid, Spain.
(Image credit: Mateo Villalba/Getty Images)
Under Carlo Ancelotti, Rodrygo formed one of the deadliest winger duo's in the world alongside Vinicius Jr, but saw his influence on the team wane following the arrival of Mbappe last season.
An illness sidelined him for the final two months the season and he missed Ancelotti's first games as Brazil boss. He is yet to reach 100% yet, and as a result has seen his minutes under Alonso at the Club World Cup limited, with the Spaniard apparently preferring Arda Guler.
Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo are said to have come to blows in Spain
Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo are said to have come to blows in Spain(Image credit: Getty Images)
All of this has opened the door for a potential move away from the Spanish capital.
TBR Football have confirmed that Manchester City, as well as several other teams, are now in discussion with Rodrygo and his agents.
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Their chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has suggested that Chelsea, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have all been informed on his potential availability this summer.
However, they suggest that right now Arsenal are still the frontrunners for his signature, should he leave Spain this summer.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, May 2025
Pep Guardiola is aiming to hijack a deal and bring Rodrygo to the Etihad(Image credit: Alamy)
Part of the appeal is the fact they plan to play him as a left-winger, his preferred position, where at Real Madrid he is extremely unlikely to get the opportunity to play.
Both Vinicius Jr and Mbappe would be expected to start there ahead of him. Also since their openieng two games, Alonso has implemented something similar to the 3-5-2 he used to effectively at Bayer Leverkusen, and sees no space for him as either an attacking midfielder or a striker.
Xabi Alonso holds the Meisterschale
Xabi Alonso holds the Meisterschale after completing an invincible Bundesliga season(Image credit: Getty Images)
In FourFourTwo's view, should Rodrygo leave Real Madrid, he would be best off heading to Arsenal. He is almost guaranteed minutes in his favoured position, and would face far less competition than at Manchester City.
Arsenal's process under Mikel Arteta has seen them get progressively better each season, and adding a world class player into a team already on the up would certainly not harm that progression.