Real Madrid want to snatch Liverpool target if Man City raid fails, with star clearly keen to move

Real Madrid are reportedly considering the signing of Martin Zubimendi if their interest in Manchester City man Rodri amounts to nothing, and the former has made it clear a move could happen.

Real have made two massive midfield transfers in the last two seasons. Last term, they brought Jude Bellingham through the door for an initial fee of €103million (approx £86.5million).

The season prior, their big midfield outlay was on Aurelien Tchouameni.

Now, they have Rodri in their sights as the next huge addition to the midfield.

But as per Ekrem Konur, if they can’t get him, there’s a contingency plan in place.

He reports that Real will consider signing Real Sociedad’s Zubimendi if their pursuit of the Manchester City midfielder fails.

It is suggested that transfer could be challenging due to Zubimendi’s ‘strong loyalty’ to Sociedad, who he has played for for his entire career.

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Things looking up for Real

But that might not be a problem, after the latest reports on the Spaniard.

Indeed, it was reported he ‘regrets’ rejecting Liverpool in the summer, and wants the door to be reopened for that move.

That suggests that his loyalty to Sociedad is dwindling.

And while those reports only stated that he wants to backtrack on his decision to turn down Liverpool, if he’s ready to drop his loyalty for them, that could well be the same story for Real.

Rodri looks like he may soon be out of reach for the La Liga giants, though. Indeed, it’s believed he’s been offered a new deal which will make him one of the top three earners at City, an offer which would be hard for anybody to turn down.

Real plotting big transfers

Even though they may not get Rodri, the Premier League is one of Real’s most favoured hunting grounds at the moment.

They have been frequently linked with Cristian Romero and William Saliba of late. They were said to have scouted the pair in the recent north London derby.

And Romero is said to have not ruled out a move to the La Liga giants.

Meanwhile, Alphonso Davies is back on their radar after summer interest, and that could mean for a change of role for Ferland Mendy, despite the fact the club want him to be a player they rely on.

Zubimendi is a solid midfielder

FBRef statistics showcase Zubimendi as an ideal signing for Real. In terms of top-five league midfielders, he is in the 94th percentile for passes blocked, which would allow him to set Real’s elite attackers in motion.

That he is in the 91st percentile for successful take-on percentage would also help with that.

He is also in the 86th percentile for aerials won, suggesting he can stop attacks well in any way.