Sources: Rodrygo wants Madrid stay despite role

Rodrygo nary longer wants to play retired of presumption astatine Real Madrid, sources person told ESPN, with the guardant preferring to commencement connected the left-hand broadside of the attack, wherever helium believes helium performs best.

The Brazil planetary was an unused substitute successful Madrid's 4-3 Clásico defeat to Barcelona connected Sunday -- with manager Carlo Ancelotti saying helium "wasn't 100%" -- and near Tuesday's grooming league aboriginal with a muscular problem.

While Rodrygo has been picked often by Ancelotti this season, making 30 LaLiga appearances and featuring successful 12 Champions League games, helium has usually played connected the right, with Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé preferred done the middle.

Sources told ESPN that Rodrygo's representatives person held talks with Madrid president Florentino Pérez astir the forward's dissatisfaction with his positioning connected the pitch.

The subordinate doesn't privation to permission Madrid -- helium has a declaration until 2028 -- and Pérez is not keen to spot him spell either, arsenic was made wide successful those discussions, sources said.

Rodrygo's entourage are relaxed astir his future, sources told ESPN. There has been semipermanent involvement from the Premier League, with Manchester City often discussed arsenic a imaginable destination by radical adjacent to him.

However, Rodrygo and his representatives archetypal privation to perceive incoming manager Xabi Alonso's plans for the player, sources said, earlier taking immoderate decisions connected his future.

Rodrygo's campy bash not privation a departure, but they besides aren't ruling it out, though 1 root said it would beryllium indispensable to "pick a combat with Florentino" for that to happen.

Rodrygo believes that his signifier erstwhile picked connected the near would warrant playing determination regularly, sources said, and helium is bushed of being utilized successful assorted different attacking roles.

The subordinate and his representatives judge that with Vinícius and Mbappé often playing successful a beforehand two, determination is country successful the squad for Rodrygo connected the left, particularly fixed his willingness to enactment hard defensively, arsenic Ancelotti has recognised.

Rodrygo's goalscoring has dropped disconnected dramatically this season, with conscionable 1 extremity successful each competitions successful the past 3 months, portion helium was substituted astatine fractional clip successful Madrid's 3-2 Copa del Rey last nonaccomplishment to Barcelona connected April 26.

Sources adjacent to the subordinate constituent to assorted factors contributing to his driblet successful performance, which they judge should beryllium understood successful the discourse of the team's signifier overall.

On a idiosyncratic level, Rodrygo had a hard clip past twelvemonth erstwhile his grandma -- with whom helium was highly adjacent -- passed distant aft an illness. In caller weeks, the subordinate was besides shaken by another, backstage wellness matter.

In Sunday's Clásico loss successful LaLiga, Rodrygo didn't adjacent lukewarm up with Madrid's different substitutes. With the squad chasing a goal, Ancelotti turned to youngster Víctor Muñoz, 21, who came connected to marque his debut, and spurned a precocious accidental to equalise.

"There's nary contented with Rodrygo, "Ancelotti said afterwards. "He wasn't 100%."

A root told ESPN that Rodrygo has nary occupation with Ancelotti, and their narration remains strong. Rodrygo has antecedently made nationalist his concerns astir the mode he's been utilised.

"Often, I'm conscionable filling spaces," helium said portion connected Brazil work successful September 2024. "Is idiosyncratic missing there? Put Rodrygo in. Is idiosyncratic missing connected the right? Rodrygo. Is idiosyncratic missing arsenic fig nine? Rodrygo. That's it. It whitethorn get successful my mode a little, but I'm a squad player."

"I've ne'er enactment a subordinate successful a presumption that helium doesn't like," Ancelotti responded. "Sometimes immoderate [players] person to marque sacrifices, similar Camavinga, similar Tchouameni has, similar Rodrygo. I deliberation Rodrygo is simply a implicit forward."

On Tuesday, Rodrygo began Madrid's grooming up of their LaLiga crippled with Real Mallorca, earlier indicating to Ancelotti and the squad doc that helium was feeling immoderate discomfort, and leaving the league aboriginal aft conscionable a fewer minutes.

"He [Rodrygo] had a fever past week, which prevented him from grooming good and returning to his champion level," Ancelotti said afterwards. "Today helium felt immoderate discomfort successful his leg, which needs to beryllium evaluated.

"When a subordinate is not good [physically], helium is besides not good emotionally," Ancelotti added. "He wants to play, to amusement his quality, and assistance the team. He is simply a small disappointed successful that sense, but thing more."

Rodrygo joined Madrid successful 2019 and has won 2 Champions Leagues and 3 LaLiga titles, scoring immoderate important goals for the club, specified arsenic successful their Champions League runs successful 2022 and 2024.

Madrid play Mallorca connected Wednesday -- with Rodrygo 1 of a fig of cardinal players missing -- needing to triumph to debar rivals Barcelona being confirmed arsenic league champions.

The subordinate posted connected societal media connected Wednesday, thanking fans for their messages of support, saying helium would "be backmost soon" and urging radical to "stop making things up."