"It was all agreed with Barcelona" - Real Madrid star reveals he was very close to joining Catalan club before €45m move to Santiago Bernabeu

Real Madrid winger Rodrygo has revealed that he agreed to join Barcelona before his current club swooped in at the end. The Brazilian claimed everything was set and it was just about him making the final decision when he got the option to join Los Blancos.

Real Madrid agreed a €45 million deal with Santos to sign Rodrygo in 2018. He had to wait for a year before heading to Spain, as he was just 17 years old at that time. Players must be at least 18 years of age to complete an international transfer as per FIFA rules.

Rodrygo has claimed that he was ready to join the Catalan side after they agreed terms with Santos. However, he did not think twice when Real Madrid became interested in the youngster.

He said:

“When my father told me the news... I always tell this story. I had two shirts: one for Barca and one for Real Madrid and I had to choose. It was very easy for me to choose. But it was all agreed with Barcełona, it was a surprise for me, I didn’t expect Real Madrid to come. It was a scare but then it was one of the happiest moments of my life.”

Rodrygo has established himself as a key squad member for the Spanish side since making his debut in 2019. He has played 140 games in all competitions, bagging 28 goals and 27 assists.

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Real Madrid star not giving up on beating Barcelona for the La Liga title

Rodrygo is adamant that Real Madrid are not out of the title race in La Liga this season. Barcelona are 11 points clear right now, but Los Blancos have a game in hand and can cut the lead to eight points.

Speaking to GOAL, the forward said:

“It’s always possible, we have to believe until the end. I think, in my first season, we were many points behind Atlético and then we came back. It’s very difficult but we’re going to try to come back and win all the remaining games and see what happens.”

Real Madrid take on Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final next month and Rodrygo wants to beat them in the cup competition too. He said:

“Maybe, but because it’s a title we haven’t won in recent years, whether it’s against Barça or any other team, we’re very motivated, and we’re looking forward to winning it. Of course, a Clasico is always very special, it’s always very difficult to play against Barça, but we’ll think about that. We have a lot of games beforehand and we’re going to try to win them all.”

Real Madrid take on Elche this mid-week in La Liga, while Barcelona face Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League.