Arsenal have been handed a huge boost in their bid to sign Rodrygo as the Real Madrid star has now ‘formally requested his departure’ from the club.
The Gunners were dealt a blow last week after it was revealed that Barcelona were closing in on a deal for Nico Williams, but Mikel Arteta may now instead land his ‘dream’ left winger as a report has revealed he and a Real Madrid teammate have now ‘asked to leave’.
The bombshell report comes on the back of transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealing that Rodrygo telling Madrid and new manager Xabi Alonso that he wants to leave was the “only way” Arsenal would get the deal done.
“I’m told that the situation has not changed as of today. So first point, Arsenal love Rodrygo. When I say Arsenal, it’s about the management, it’s about the coach, Mikel Arteta,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.
“They consider Rodrygo as a fantastic player, a dream target as a winger, also because they believe that Nico Williams is impossible to reach this summer.
“So for Rodrygo, he remains a strong name for sure in the list at Arsenal. But at the moment, as I always told you, the only way to make the Rodrygo deal happen and to start thinking about the financials, the salary, the transfer fee and all the rest, is Rodrygo himself.
“The only way is if Rodrygo goes to Xabi Alonso and tells him at some point now – in one week, in two weeks – ‘I want to leave the club’.
“So is Rodrygo deciding? If he decides to go to Arsenal, the doors of this deal to negotiate could be open, but in this moment, Rodrygo still didn’t tell anything to Xabi Alonso.
“So about leaving the club, about leaving Real Madrid, and Real Madrid will not inform Arsenal on any fixed price until they don’t have any communication from Rodrygo.”
The Spanish report claims Rodrygo has ‘formally requested his departure in this summer market due to the imminent loss of prominence in the new tactical structure of the Basque coach’, as has Eduardo Camavinga, who incidentally was also linked with Arsenal as a possible replacement for Thomas Partey, though they now appear to have landed on signing Christian Norgaard from Brentford.
Fichajes claim Rodrygo has made his mind up to leave after the arrival of Franco Mastantuono, combined with him being dropped to the bench for the Club World Cup win over Pachuca, despite his assist in the 1-1 draw with Al Hilal.
The report adds:
‘Both Rodrygo and Camavinga consider that their growth would be stagnant if they remain in a secondary role, so they have already asked the club to study possible exits. Real Madrid, meanwhile, evaluates options without ruling out sales if adequate offers arrive. The white revolution already has its first consequences.’