Rodri named among seven stars who rejected Real Madrid, reports say

Rodri has reportedly turned down Real Madrid and is set to join Barcelona, according to reports from Spain published on 2026-08-07, placing him among seven prominent players who have spurned Los Blancos. The list compiled by Khel Now includes Neymar, Luis Suarez, Paul Pogba, Francesco Totti, Steven Gerrard and Alphonso Davies alongside Rodri.

Real Madrid are portrayed in the piece as a club players rarely refuse, yet the article highlights that rejections do occur even for targets of the highest profile, citing a Ballon d’Or winner among those who said no. The report notes that some who initially reject Madrid later sign for them — Kylian Mbappe is given as an example who “eventually moved to Los Blancos, currently leading their line” — while others never make the move and remain content elsewhere.

Neymar is listed as a two-time rejecter of Real Madrid: he declined a move at age 13 and, when ready to move to Europe, chose Barcelona despite having a medical with Madrid and touring the Santiago Bernabeu. He is quoted directly: "Real Madrid’s offer was a blank check, they told me that I could have whatever I wanted. But I loved Barca with my heart," Neymar said. "At Real Madrid I would have earned three times as much money. Florentino (Perez) always liked me. But Ronaldinho had played there and I wanted to play with Messi."

Luis Suarez is described as another high-profile example who rejected Madrid in favour of Barcelona after contact from the Spanish club while he was at Liverpool. Suarez is quoted on the sequence of events: "My agent spoke with Real Madrid, and everything was on the right track. They were thinking about selling Benzema to Arsenal, everything was already done," Suarez revealed. "When the World Cup started, Barcelona came into the race, and obviously I preferred Barcelona. With the situation of the bite, Madrid lost interest, and Barcelona became more interested. In the end I had both options and I chose Barcelona because it was my dream." The article records his output at Barcelona as 198 goals in 283 matches across six seasons.

Paul Pogba and Francesco Totti are presented as contrasting cases of refusing Madrid for different reasons. The piece states Pogba left Juventus in 2016 with offers including Real Madrid but returned to Manchester United for £89 million, and quotes him: "To be honest, Real Madrid came to me and I was thinking to go there, and I was thinking to go to Manchester United too," Pogba said. "But I always felt it in my heart. My heart told me to come back here, I don’t know why, I didn’t know what was going to happen." Totti is described as a one-club man who rejected an approach from Florentino Perez and remained at Roma for 25 years, saying: "During my career, I had the chance to play for other teams, both in Italy and abroad. Abroad, especially Real Madrid, where a transfer was very, very close," Totti said. "It wasn’t a question of weakness. It was a question of love. I chose my heart. I chose my life, which I have always dedicated to Roma, to the love I felt for these colours, for this shirt."

Steven Gerrard and Alphonso Davies are included among the seven for different episodes of refusal. The article says Gerrard rejected Real Madrid twice, first in 2005 and again in 2009, and quotes him: "I have had a couple of options through my career to go to Real Madrid but I resisted temptation because of the feeling I had for my hometown club," Gerrard said in 2014. "It might be something I regret down the line for not challenging myself and experiencing another country but I would have had an even bigger regret leaving Liverpool. I had a great admiration for Madrid but for me Liverpool is my No. 1 club." On Davies, the report states there was a verbal agreement with Madrid since 2024, Bayern Munich were willing to sell him cheaply rather than lose him on a free, and that "Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti reportedly asked Davies to wait a year before signing him on a free transfer and also did not want to sell Ferland Mendy," after which Davies renewed at Bayern feeling underappreciated.

The article also lists additional players who have declined Real Madrid over the years, naming David Villa, Cesc Fabregas, Santi Cazorla, Roy Keane and Gianluigi Buffon among others, and gives brief reasons in each case cited by the source. It records that Buffon rejected Madrid to avoid contesting Iker Casillas’s place, that Keane did not want to move abroad and later expressed regret, that Cazorla opted to remain at Villarreal and said "it’s clear that it is possible to say ‘no’ to" Real Madrid, and that Leny Yoro turned down Madrid to join Manchester United from Lille; Dani Alves is noted as having been close to joining Madrid while at Valencia but ultimately moving to Barcelona.

Although the report says the Rodri move is far from done, it repeats Spanish coverage that he is all set to join Barcelona and adds that Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is said to be "furious" after missing out; the piece describes the potential transfer as "one of the moves of the transfer window."