Mourinho admits Rodri's doubts ended Real Madrid's transfer pursuit

José Mourinho has revealed that Rodrigo Hernández's hesitancy over a move to Real Madrid ultimately scuppered a deal, with the Spain star instead joining Barcelona from Manchester City for €76.5m (£65m).

Rodri had been a primary target for Madrid earlier in the transfer window and the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner had been on their radar for several years. Speaking to El Chiringuito, Mourinho confirmed Los Blancos held talks with the player but that his doubts ended the pursuit.

"I spoke with [Rodri] a couple of times," Mourinho said. "Real Madrid made him a very good offer. I think the relationship between Real Madrid and Man City is very good. The club made him an important offer. Rodri had doubts, he doubted, and I think what happened is that the doubts Rodri had, gave me doubts."

"He's an extraordinary player. But I think Real Madrid are so big that we can't have players who think twice. That's the concept. But he behaved properly with us, and I wish him well."

Rodri, who led Spain to the World Cup this year and picked up the Golden Ball along the way, won 13 major honours with City, including the Champions League, with his goal proving the winner against Inter in the 2022-23 final. City won 71.5% of the 298 matches in which Rodri featured, losing just 36 of those games. By contrast, they lost 30 matches when he was absent, with their win percentage dropping to 63.3% across 120 fixtures in total.

Both Barcelona and Real Madrid begin their LaLiga campaigns this weekend, taking on Elche and Espanyol respectively.