Jose Mourinho’s stance on potential Real Madrid transfer swoop for Rodri revealed | OneFootball

The position currently being taken by Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho concerning the potential signing of Rodri this summer has been revealed, as per a new report from Spain.

Mourinho arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu this summer with a clear vision of the type of midfielder he wanted to add to a squad he inherited from Carlo Ancelotti – and his initial instinct was to prioritise a profile different from the one Rodri represents at the Etihad Stadium.

The 30-year-old’s performances at the FIFA World Cup – culminating in the Golden Ball as Spain won the tournament for the second time in their history – have inevitably shifted the conversation around his future – but the update from Spain adds texture to Real Madrid‘s internal thinking that goes beyond a straightforward institutional rejection or endorsement of a potential deal.

Mourinho had already moved in the market for midfield reinforcement before the Rodri conversation gathered its current momentum, with Mateus Fernandes – now of Tottenham – and Enzo Fernández both considered at varying stages, with the latter ruled out by the club in a public statement that closed off that avenue entirely.

The picture that emerges is of a manager navigating between his own tactical preferences and a set of circumstances – Rodri’s contract situation at Manchester City and his desire to return to Spain – that may yet override those preferences before the window closes.

Report: Mourinho’s ‘tactical reasons’ preference does not rule out Rodri move

According to ESPN, sources close to Mourinho have indicated in recent days that the Real Madrid manager is still searching for a different profile in the market, with the Portuguese coach preferring another player for “tactical reasons” that better suit the style of play he intends to implement at the Bernabeu next season.

The tactical reservation centres on the type of midfielder Mourinho typically deploys rather than any personal reservations about Rodri’s quality, with the Portuguese coach’s preferred system historically demanding a more energetic, box-to-box profile alongside a single pivot rather than the deep-lying, tempo-controlling role that defines Rodri’s game in England.

Crucially, however, the report is clear that this position does not rule out the possibility of a move for Rodri, with ESPN describing Mourinho’s stance as a preference rather than a veto – leaving open the prospect that the wider forces within the Bernabeu’s decision-making structure could yet push a deal through regardless of the manager’s initial instincts.

That distinction is important in the context of previous reporting on Real Madrid’s position, which suggested the club had “no intention” of signing Rodri – a statement that now appears to require considerable qualification given the range of internal viewpoints the ESPN report has since surfaced.

What does Mourinho’s stance mean for Man City and Rodri’s future?

The gap between Mourinho’s tactical preference and the broader institutional desire among Real Madrid’s board members to pursue Rodri is one of the more intriguing subplots of a situation that has continued to evolve throughout the summer, with multiple layers of Real Madrid’s hierarchy now publicly associated with differing positions on the same potential signing.

For Manchester City and director of football Hugo Viana, the knowledge that Mourinho’s position on Rodri is conditional rather than categorical provides little reassurance – the manager’s preference for a different profile could shift quickly if his other targets prove unavailable or too expensive before the deadline.

Whether Mourinho’s tactical instincts ultimately prove decisive in determining Rodri’s fate, or whether Maresca and Manchester City are forced to navigate a scenario they had hoped to avoid, is now among the most consequential outstanding questions of the summer window.