Mourinho says Real made Rodri an offer but the player's doubts halted the move

José Mourinho said Real Madrid had made an offer to Rodri but the midfielder’s hesitation meant the club did not sign him, comments made on 19 August 2026 after Rodri was presented at Barcelona following a €75m (£65.4m) transfer from Manchester City.

Rodri was unveiled by Barcelona on the same day and told reporters the move was “always my first choice”. The transfer fee was reported as €75m (£65.4m) and the midfielder will join eight of his Spain international teammates at Barcelona.

Mourinho told El Chiringuito that Real Madrid had been in direct contact with Rodri. He said: "I spoke to him a couple of times and Real Madrid made him a very good offer," and added: "Without negotiating with City, the club were in contact with Rodri and made him an important offer. Rodrigo had doubts, he doubted. And his doubts created doubts in me. He is an extraordinary player and he behaved in the right way with us. I have nothing bad to say. But Real Madrid are so big that you can’t have players who have to think twice. You get in touch with a player and the player says: ‘When do I go?’ That’s how it works."

The club’s interest came after Rodri received three offers to leave Manchester City following the World Cup, from Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona. He ruled out PSG because he wanted to return to Spain and the 30-year-old ultimately chose Barcelona.

Asked whether Barcelona’s capture could be viewed as a victory over Real, Mourinho replied: "Victories are on the pitch, trophies" and he insisted he would not miss the player at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Real Madrid have not signed an alternative midfielder since pursuing Rodri, a gap in a team that has failed to win a major trophy in the past two seasons.

Mourinho, speaking ahead of his second stint managing in Madrid, said: "I am not saying that there will not be any more signings because the market is still open, but if you ask me directly whether the squad is complete, for me yes it is," said the 63-year-old. He added: "It’s complete, closed. I like [my squad] a lot. "I don’t miss Rodrigo. We have solutions, we have quality, we have players who maybe you look at and you judge them on what they have done [before] but I like to think that I have the ability to improve players. A player that is one thing today can be a different player tomorrow."

Mourinho acknowledged the transfer market remains open while insisting he views the current squad as complete, comments made as he prepares to resume his second spell in charge at Real Madrid.