Real Madrid’s pursuit of Rodri has reignited Manchester United’s hopes of landing their dream Casemiro replacement, as the Spanish giants prepare to sacrifice the French midfield powerhouse.
After the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, Manchester United's preparation for the 2026/27 Premier League season is already well underway.
Their European pre-season tour started with a 1-0 loss to Wrexham, before facing Rosenborg in Trondheim, with the Norwegian side already 13 games deep into their Eliteserien campaign.
As pre-season goes on, so does Manchester United's transfer business, with INEOS still targeting several key additions to the side, including a marquee signing to cap off a midfield rebuild with the replacement of Casemiro.
After missing out on several marquee Premier League midfielders, it was widely reported that Aurélien Tchouaméni was identified as the club's dream signing and a perfect replacement for Casemiro, with the Frenchman signing for Real Madrid when Casemiro joined United in 2022.
However, reports of the Frenchman signing a new deal at Real Madrid prompted United to pivot to other midfield targets, as a deal looked almost impossible this summer.
However, recent developments mean that a deal could be back on the cards after Real Madrid's interest in signing Manchester City's Rodri.
As reported by David Ornstein for The Athletic, Real Madrid are ready to sell their 26-year-old midfield star to help fund the signing of the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner and complete their midfield rebuild.
The outlet reports that, "At this stage, club-to-club talks have yet to take place, but Madrid are confident an agreement can be reached and are operating on the basis that Rodri will be joining the club this summer."
After Rodri expressed his desire to return to Spain, Italian journalist Matteo Moretto also reported that the 30-year-old has already reached an agreement with Real Madrid on contract terms.
After being strongly linked with AS Roma's Manu Koné to complete their midfield rebuild, United could be set to pivot to the real statement signing of Aurélien Tchouaméni this summer.
Having already signed two box-to-box midfielders in Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, it looked like a defensive midfielder was the final piece of the puzzle at Old Trafford, and could land one of Europe's best players in that position.
Despite Jose Mourinho being keen to keep the France star, The Sun has reported that Real Madrid are prepared to cash in on the 26-year-old after their transfer priorities shifted following the possibility of signing Rodri.
A fee of around £68 million is reportedly expected to be enough to complete the move, and, after several clubs have already made marquee midfield signings, Manchester United now have a major advantage in landing the star defensive midfielder for an absolute bargain.