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Throughout his re-election campaign, Florentino Pérez repeatedly pledged to maintain his tradition of attracting the planet's elite footballers to Real Madrid.
Enormous banners were displayed across the city highlighting the marquee signings of Pérez's presidency, spanning from Luís Figo to Kylian Mbappé, accompanied by the phrase "to be continued."
Pérez also hinted at a €150 million ($170 million) offer for an undisclosed "Galáctico" in the closing stages of his vote-gathering efforts before the election.
Following his victory over rival Enrique Riquelme, the 79-year-old club president made a calculated move for Julián Alvarez and has shown interest in Bayern Munich's Michael Olise.
Erling Haaland also remains an elusive target for Pérez, who pursues superstar footballers the way other wealthy men his age might collect timepieces or luxury vehicles. When asked whether Madrid truly needed another high-profile striker given Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and others already competing for spots, he responded: "at Madrid, there is always room for more."
Madrid's Midfield Issue
While the president's focus has consistently been on glamorous attackers, none of the names being discussed address Madrid's most urgent concern: the midfield.
The squad still carries a significant void left by the departures of club icons Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić over the past two seasons, with Aurélien Tchouaméni being the only dedicated defensive midfielder in the senior squad. Furthermore, it's fair to note that the Frenchman has endured a difficult year both domestically and on the international stage, while a dressing room dispute became public knowledge after his Valdebebas confrontation with Federico Valverde left the Uruguayan hospitalized back in May. The 26-year-old is also far from the deep-lying playmaker that Kroos and Modrić once were.
New head coach José Mourinho has been appointed to restore structure and discipline. A revamped defensive unit has been assembled, with Marc Cucurella representing a notable improvement over Madrid's previous left-back options, while Ibrahima Konaté and Denzel Dumfries provide additional squad depth.
Yet the midfield deficiency continues to be the glaring issue no one wants to address.
Ironically, it was Pérez's opponent, Riquelme, who placed Rodri at the heart of his campaign, with the 37-year-old green energy entrepreneur insisting he would pursue the Manchester City midfielder — along with Haaland — if he won the presidency.
Whatever the shortcomings of Riquelme's campaign, identifying Rodri as the primary target was not among them. It's difficult to imagine a more suitable candidate to solve Madrid's midfield problems and elevate the club further.
Rodri Lights Up World Cup
655 - Rodri has completed 655 passes at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the most by a player in a single edition on record since 1966.
Artist. pic.twitter.com/tYDtdHA923
The 30-year-old has been the driving force — or "the computer," as manager Luis de la Fuente describes him — behind a Spain side preparing to contest only its second-ever World Cup final this weekend.
He tops FIFA's own Defensive Power Rankings, and no player on record has ever registered more completed passes at a single World Cup (currently standing at 694).
In the semifinal triumph over France, the Manchester City star was commanding in his control of possession, orchestrating play and neutralizing the danger posed by attackers such as Olise and Mbappé as Spain cruised to a comfortable 2–0 victory. Over those 90 minutes in Texas, no player covered more ground than Rodri, who logged 12.63km (7.8 miles).
The contrast of what Madrid lack was thrown into sharper relief as Tchouaméni, admittedly not at full fitness, struggled on the opposing side.
Lionel Messi may be the frontrunner for the Golden Ball as the tournament's standout performer, but there is little question that should Spain lift the trophy on Sunday, Rodri will be recognized as the true MVP of La Roja's triumph.
Pérez-Rodri Relationship Makes Transfer Tricky
Speaking before the World Cup got underway, Rodri was noncommittal about his club future, telling journalists: "I'm focused on being a leader for the national team. That's my path. I understand the noise, but I'm not going to dedicate my time to that. We'll see after the World Cup."
With only one year remaining on his deal and Pep Guardiola's departure signaling the close of a chapter at Manchester City, the moment may finally have arrived for Rodri to contemplate a fresh challenge after seven years in the Premier League.
Back in 2024, the Madrid-born midfielder hinted at the prospect of a move to the Bernabéu, telling Cadena SER: "When Real Madrid call you, the best club in history, the most successful, everything that means ... Obviously, it's an honour and you always have to pay attention, of course."
So why isn't Pérez pursuing this seemingly ideal signing with full force? There appear to be several hurdles for the president to clear, with numerous reports suggesting there is currently limited appetite from Madrid's end.
As a defensive midfielder, Rodri does not fit the mold of the headline-grabbing signings Pérez typically favors. Since acquiring Kroos ahead of the 2014–15 season, he has spent significant fees on only three non-attacking midfielders (Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos), generally preferring to allocate funds elsewhere.
It may sound trivial, but the low-profile, team-first Rodri — serial champion and consummate professional that he is — may simply not carry enough Galáctico appeal for Pérez.
There is also the lingering matter of the 2024 Ballon d'Or, when Pérez led a boycott of football's most prestigious individual awards ceremony after Rodri was crowned the winner ahead of Vinícius Jr.
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Additional factors likely complicate any potential deal. Rodri is now past 30 and suffered an ACL injury as recently as 2024. Any investment Madrid make would be money they could almost certainly never recoup, and there may be concerns that he does not represent a long-term solution.
Perhaps the most significant obstacle, however, is simply that Rodri was Riquelme's signature policy, and Pérez may be unwilling to be seen endorsing a key pledge of the man who had the audacity to challenge him for the presidency.