In a move which has both surprised people and confirmed their suspicions, Mikel Arteta has contacted the entourage of Rodrygo Goes ahead of a summer 2025 move.
The Brazilian has been at Real Madrid for a little more than half a decade and has grown into a solid all-round attacker. Forced to play on the right despite being a left winger like his compatriot and Madrid teammate Vinícius Jr., the 23-year-old Brazil international is now one of the world’s best right-sided attackers. His natural instincts on the left remain, which means that Madrid are blessed with an attacker who can dominate all spheres when called upon.
He is still an important part of the club’s current setup but the arrival of Kylian Mbappé in the summer of 2024 has forced him down the pecking order in terms of star power.
Jude Bellingham and Vinícius are both working to be the star man in the team and are both of higher profile than Rodrygo. His effectiveness can only do so much for him as Real Madrid’s Galactico culture would swallow him up to create room for the others to thrive.
Many in the media believed that he would be the one to be sacrificed in order to accommodate the French national team captain and those predictions look to be coming through with the latest news coming out of Arsenal.
Arteta has his right side locked up for a while with Bukayo Saka but his left side has given him some trouble in recent seasons. Both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard are trusted with that flank, but both have not been as effective as the club’s fans or Arteta himself would want despite their strong showing. If the reports hold any water, the Rodrygo approach means that Arteta will be willing to give the Brazil international a chance to shine in his preferred position once again.
Rodrygo has a contract with Los Blancos that expires in 2028 which means he will cost a pretty penny. The reported fee is €110 million, which will make him Arsenal’s most expensive player after Declan Rice.
The player’s willingness is another story, as it is believed that he wants to remain at Madrid and fight for another contract. It remains to be seen if Florentino Perez and the rest of the club’s hierarchy will consider renewing him when they have other targets like Alphonso Davies that the transfer fee could help to bring in.
Also, this potential move will mark another deal between both clubs, which is setting a precedent that many Premier League clubs could become worried about.
