According to The Athletic's report, Real Madrid's pursuit of Rodri this summer has cooled, and if they want to sign a similar type of player, Pavlovic, Nico González, and Stiller are among the candidates.

The report states that this summer, Real Madrid has already spent €240 million ($277 million) on new signings, but one player they missed out on could ultimately determine the outcome of the season.

Last month, The Athletic reported that Real Madrid was in talks with Manchester City to sign Rodri. It later became clear that the player preferred a move to arch-rivals Barcelona. Real Madrid has yet to finalize a deal for the World Cup-winning Spanish captain, and he will not be joining the Bernabéu in the short term.

For Real Madrid, this is a significant blow for a position that has been a headache since Kroos's retirement in 2024.

Why is the midfield a problem position for Real Madrid?

On the surface, it's not obvious: Real Madrid has seven midfielders competing for three spots in the 4-2-3-1 formation that returning coach Mourinho will use. These three positions consist of two defensive midfielders and one attacking midfielder.

During certain periods of Real Madrid's pre-season, Mourinho played Arnau Olivé in midfield when the team had possession. Arnau is no stranger to this position, having played there for Liverpool. However, it seems unlikely that he will make this his primary position.

The board points out that the team has a large number of midfielders with a rich variety of player types, from Bellingham, who can penetrate the box, to versatile new signing Bernardo Silva—there are many options.

However, looking back at the situation after Kroos's departure in 2024 and Modric's departure in 2025, Real Madrid has clearly been lacking a midfielder who can consistently control the pace of the game.

In the past two seasons, Real Madrid has failed to win any major trophies, and there are growing voices within the club emphasizing the need to sign a player who can dominate the midfield.

The most explicit advocates for this were two of the three coaches before Mourinho's appointment: Ancelotti and Alonso. The Italian coach and now Chelsea manager both stressed the necessity of strengthening the midfield, but it never materialized.

The situation is different for Alonso's successor, Luis de la Fuente, now coaching the Spanish national team. He was promoted from the reserve team Castilla to the first team in January and had to adapt to the squad at hand until the end of the season.

However, after Mourinho's appointment in June, this idea remained on the table. From his first meeting with the club's sporting department to plan the season, the Portuguese coach made it clear that he wanted a "creative" midfielder.

The club met this request, just not in the way he truly wanted.

What has Real Madrid done this summer?

In June, Real Madrid announced the signing of Bernardo Silva on a contract until 2028. The Portuguese international joined on a free transfer after not renewing his contract with Manchester City. Although he is a midfielder, he often plays further forward, even on the wing—clearly not the type of number 6 like Rodri.

By changing their stance on him, Real Madrid ultimately beat out suitors like Barcelona and Atlético Madrid to secure him. Bernardo had previously been recommended to Real Madrid by agent Mendes, who also represents Mourinho, but Real Madrid had previously ruled him out.

This indicates that even without a transfer fee, Real Madrid previously believed this player was not the answer to their long-standing midfield problems. Mourinho personally requested his signing, but after he signed, he continued to ask for another midfielder.

All of this carries more weight when considering Real Madrid's failed attempt to sign Rodri from Manchester City.

How big is the blow of missing out on Rodri?

From a perception and fan sentiment perspective, it is undoubtedly a heavy blow, even though other dealings in this window had already garnered high praise from Real Madrid fans.

Just look at the social media reaction last week when Real Madrid announced the signing of Aurélien Tchouaméni from RB Leipzig and the extension of Vinicius's contract until 2032 amidst interest from Arsenal, to feel this positive sentiment. The Tchouaméni deal is worth up to €140 million and is expected to be a record signing for the club.

Rodri's outstanding performance at the World Cup earned him the tournament's best player award, and fans have consistently insisted that the board should try to sign him. Hopes for the deal quickly escalated once Real Madrid entered the fray.

At the time, it was widely believed that the deal was likely to be finalized, and there was a consensus that Rodri was precisely the missing piece for this new project, until Barcelona intervened.

Many at Real Madrid's Valdebebas training ground were closely following this transfer saga and were excited about Rodri's arrival, as he was expected to impact both the locker room and the pitch. Several veteran players in the locker room felt the same way, according to sources close to them.

However, Mourinho did not see Rodri as a priority target. The coach preferred a different type of midfielder: more mobile and capable of fulfilling more roles. Even if Rodri were signed, it would still be seen as a positive step.

If they ultimately not only failed to bring him to Real Madrid but also didn't sign anyone else in that position—at least that's the message currently coming from the club—that would be the biggest disappointment.

Will Real Madrid sign anyone else?

The club's stance is that no new signings will be made in that position unless someone leaves. Real Madrid believes the 25-man squad is complete, with at least two players for each position.

This narrative is also being conveyed in internal discussions. The club said the same in July, until The Athletic revealed they were working on the Tchouaméni transfer. Soon after, news of Real Madrid's pursuit of Rodri also emerged.

Some behind the scenes also point out that no one in the current squad wants to leave.

What do the statistics tell us about who they should pursue?

If Real Madrid intends to find another midfielder in the transfer market, it would be logical to target a player with a similar style to Rodri: someone who can control the pace of the game with consistent possession and help stabilize the defense without the ball through anticipation.

The Athletic's player role analysis uses nearly 40 data metrics to analyze players in Europe's top five leagues and identify similar types. As we can see, Rodri is categorized as the "tempo controller" that Real Madrid needs most.

According to the model, Bayern Munich's Pavlovic is the closest stylistic match. He is a reliable passer with both athleticism and physicality, and he can provide good defensive cover, but he would be difficult to pry away.

Manchester City midfielder Nico González is also a similar type. This player combines long recovery runs with reliable ball retention. However, whether he would be willing to move to Real Madrid after progressing through La Masia to Barcelona's first team is another matter.

Bayer Leverkusen's Álex García is also an interesting option. He was one of La Liga's standout performers during Girona's title challenge in the 2023-24 season. Since Kroos's departure, Real Madrid has lacked the ability to dictate play across the field, and García excels at switching play from side to side. He also has experience in a faster-paced league like the Bundesliga with more frequent transitions.

The list also includes some familiar faces—Stuttgart's Stiller has long been seen as a future great midfield tempo controller, while Bayer Leverkusen's Palacios combines tenacious defending with the ability to play penetrating passes.

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