Real Madrid prepared to cash in on Man United target to sign World Cup Golden Ball winner

Real Madrid prepared to cash in on Man United target to sign World Cup Golden Ball winner Real Madrid’s interest in signing Rodri has grown concrete in recent days, with some outlets reporting that the club president Florentino Perez has now opened up to the possibility of landing the star. As the reigning World Cup Golden Ball winner, Rodri’s stocks are high and Real Madrid see him as the ideal fix to the chaos in their midfield. A player sale, however, will make the operation far easier in a financial sense given the player’s wages and the moderately large transfer fee Manchester City expect for him. A candidate who can be sacrificed As relayed by Samuel Luckhurst earlier today, Real Madrid have identified one player as a potential candidate to leave and make way for Rodri, and it is none other than Aurelien Tchouameni . Tchouameni has long been linked with Manchester United. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) The update comes as a direct consequence of the interest shown by Manchester United in signing the player. While they have been lurking around him for a long time now, they are now growing increasingly certain that he is their man. Manchester United have now enquired about the player and it is expected that he will cost close to €80 million (£68 million) this summer. Real Madrid, for their part, are said to be open to selling Tchouameni if it eases the signing of Rodri which they see to be a bigger priority. An unannounced renewal Tchouameni was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United earlier in the transfer window when the Red Devils saw him as the perfect Casemiro replacement. Tchouameni’s renewal has already been agreed on. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images) Eventually, however, the steam fizzled out and word broke that the player had reached a complete agreement with Real Madrid over a contract renewal. It has been expected that the renewal will be made official once the player returns from his vacation, but with pen not put to paper yet, Manchester United can still strike. The desire to sign Rodri, in fact, may well be the catalyst for Mourinho to drop Tchouameni from his plans. The time between now and Tchouameni’s return to training, needless to say, will be crucial in deciding if the player’s future moves towards a renewal or away from the club. Regardless of the outcome, it is a massive decision and will have big implications for the squad planning.