Real Madrid ready to sell Tchouameni and sign Manchester City star as his replacement - Reports

Real Madrid are reportedly looking to revamp their midfield by selling Aurélien Tchouaméni and bringing Manchester City's Rodri to Santiago Bernabeu. The superstar midfielder recently became the first Spanish Ballon d'Or winner since Luis Suarez in 1960.

Carlo Ancelotti's side has struggled to find form this season despite the high-profile signing of Kylian Mbappe. At present, they are six points behind LaLiga table-toppers Barcelona (30), having suffered a harrowing 4-0 defeat to them on October 26. Hansi Flick's side tore Real Madrid's midfield apart at Santiago Bernabeu and utilized the offside trap to render Ancelotti's star-studded frontmen ineffective.

According to a report by Relevo (via GOAL), Real Madrid aren't convinced by the presence of Aurélien Tchouaméni in the midfield and are open to selling him. Another report by Spanish outlet AS (via GOAL) states that they are planning to bring in Ballon d'Or winner Rodri to bolster the midfield.

Rodri showed his mettle as one of the world's best defensive midfielders last season, netting nine goals and 14 assists in 50 games. He was mainly known for orchestrating the midfield with his superior ball distribution skills and a penchant for nullifying the opposition's press.

The Manchester City maestro recorded a whopping 121.1 touches per game with a 92% passing accuracy in the 2023-24 season of the Premier League. In addition to his on-the-ball prowess, the Spaniard is the master of breaking the opposition's attack. He averaged 6.9 balls recovered per game throughout the Premier League last season.

(The abovementioned statistics are taken from Sofascore on October 28, 2024. The website is privately owned and may change its data as per its prerogative.)

With Toni Kroos retired at the end of last season, much was expected of Jude Bellingham, Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, and Aurélien Tchouaméni. However, they haven't been able to deliver as a collective unit, forcing the management to look for better-suited options.

However, Rodri is currently sidelined with a season-ending ACL injury he sustained during Manchester City's league clash against Arsenal on September 22.

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Mats Hummels compares Real Madrid with Donald Trump after Manchester City's Rodri wins Ballon d'Or

Manchester City's Rodri - Source: Getty

Veteran defender Mats Hummels likened Real Madrid to the United States Republican supremo Donald Trump after the club refused to attend the 2024 Ballon d'Or gala. He believed that Real Madrid showed a lack of respect for Manchester City's Rodri by boycotting the event at Théâtre du Châtelet on October 28.

On his podcast, Alleine ist schwer, Hummels claimed that Vinicius Jr. deserved it but maintained that it wasn't wrong to give the Ballon d'Or to Rodri. The German said:

"Using the words 'lack of respect' for not winning an election is a bit Trump-like, and unfortunately it's disrespectful to others. That's the bad thing. There's no question that someone from Real would have been a deserving winner. But there are other amazing players who are just as good. And to not honour them is really bad."

According to reports, Real Madrid and Vinicius Jr. were confident of the Brazilian receiving his maiden Ballon d'Or on October 28. However, last-minute reports revealed that the real winner was Manchester City's Rodri resulting in the entire Los Blancos delegation skipping the trip to Paris.