Arsenal offered chance to sign Real Madrid star after shock U-turn | Football

Xabi Alonso and Real Madrid bosses are in agreement that Rodrygo will be free to leave should the club receive a ‘suitable’ offer for the forward this summer, according to reports.

Rodrygo had been viewed as one of Madrid’s key assets at the start of last term, but the 24-year-old increasingly found himself on the periphery of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans as the campaign wore on.

The Brazilian finished the season with a tally of just six league goals to his name as Los Blancos failed to win any major silverware for the first time in four years, which ultimately led to Ancelotti’s exit.

The heightened uncertainty over Rodrygo’s standing at the Bernabeu has alerted Arsenal to a potential deal, with the Gunners on the hunt for a left-sided attacker to provide support and competition for Gabriel Martinelli.

According to The Athletic, serious ‘concerns’ arose within Madrid’s hierarchy surrounding Rodrygo’s motivation levels in training midway through last season and there had been hopes that the winger would respond positively.

Rodrygo’s father and agent, Eric Goes, however, has complained internally that his son’s situation is directly and inextricably linked to the high-profile presence of superstar trio Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.

The report suggests this has ‘not gone down well’ at Madrid, prompting the club to ‘open the door’ to a potential transfer, with Alonso said to have greenlit the player’s proposed departure.

Both before and during Madrid’s Club World Cup campaign, Alonso has intimated that he would ideally like to keep hold of Rodrygo beyond the summer, despite the Brazil international making just one solitary start in the United States.

‘Rodrygo is a Real Madrid player, and I will speak with everyone who is part of Real Madrid,’ Alonso told reporters after being appointed as Madrid’s head coach.

‘Rodrygo is a spectacular player and we will need him. He deserves it and so do we.’

Asked about Rodrygo’s situation in the build-up to Madrid’s opening clash with Al-Hilal, Alonso said: ‘I know what had happened in the final stretch [of last season], it was not easy for him.

‘He took some time to reset his head and I see him wanting to enjoy and contribute.’

But Rodrygo has been limited to just 23 minutes since starting Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal and it appears Alonso is already preparing for the prospect of life without Rodrygo next season.

On Tuesday evening, the two-time Champions League winner was left as an unused substitute as Madrid edged out Juventus to reach the quarter-finals, where they will face Borussia Dortmund.

It’s understood Madrid value Rodrygo at around €100million (£85m).

Rodrygo’s current contract in the Spanish capital runs through to June 2028.

Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma and Newcastle Anthony Gordon also find themselves on Arsenal’s transfer shortlist this summer, but Rodrygo is believed to be their primary target out wide.

Last month, Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes was asked whether he had any inside information on Rodrygo’s current mindset amid speculation he could soon be joined by his fellow countryman in north London.

‘I don’t. No, I don’t, not really,’ the Arsenal and Brazil central defender told  the Podpah Podcast.

‘But I’d like it, obviously. Rodrygo is a phenomenon, for me. He’s not at Arsenal… I’ve told people already, he’s a phenomenon.

‘His name is mentioned a lot. If it was up to me, of course.’

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