Yan Diomande topped Real’s transfers, and Jose Mourinho says he is happy despite missing out on Rodri to Barcelona.
Published On 25 Aug 202625 Aug 2026
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho says he is “very happy” with his squad, which he considers complete despite missing out on midfielder Rodri, later signed by rivals Barcelona.
Los Blancos revamped their squad this summer, signing six players including record arrival Yan Diomande, Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella.
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However, Madrid’s approach for Rodri broke down, meaning that, beyond former Man City playmaker Silva, they have not strengthened in midfield.
“For me the squad is closed, but the market is still open – you never know if a player will come and say ‘I’ve been benched twice and I want to leave,’” Mourinho told reporters on Tuesday.
“In theory, no [more deals]… but something could always happen… In my head the squad is closed, and I have not asked for anyone. I am very happy with the players I have.”
With midfield maestros Toni Kroos and Luka Modric departing in 2024 and 2025 respectively, Madrid have struggled to control matches.
Mourinho’s side snatched a late 2-1 win at Espanyol on Saturday in their La Liga opener, starting with Silva and Federico Valverde together in midfield.
Mourinho said French defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni was not ready to play against Real Sociedad on Wednesday.
“He’s got a problem, the holiday time wasn’t enough [for him to recover], seeing the games approaching, the player wanted to try … but we’ve decided that you can’t start a season in suffering,” explained the coach.
“You can finish a season suffering, the last couple of months, but you can’t start in August not at 100 percent.
“So we decided with him, the staff, the medical department, to get him to return at 100 percent.”
Mourinho said he had faith in Uruguayan international Valverde as a midfielder, despite previous coaches using him in a variety of roles, including right-back and right winger.
“For me he is a player for the centre of the pitch,” added Mourinho.
“Depending on the opponent and our objectives, he might be more set in his position or more mobile.”
Mourinho said that in modern football, players’ positions were less relevant.
“I don’t want to identify Tchouameni as the No. 6, Camavinga No. 6, Fede No. 8, Bernardo No. 10 … things dilute during games.”
Spain’s World Cup-winning captain Rodri is returning to his homeland after Man City agree transfer to Barcelona.
Published On 17 Aug 202617 Aug 2026
Manchester City have accepted a 65.4 million pounds ($88.47m) bid from Barcelona for their World Cup-winning Spain midfielder Rodri, British media have reported.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner has agreed a four-year deal with the Spanish champions, Sky Sports said on Sunday, and will head to the Nou Camp to complete the transfer next week.
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Rodri won 12 major honours at City, including four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three League Cups and the Champions League after 298 appearances in seven seasons at the Etihad Stadium.
Rodri, who joined City from Atletico Madrid for a then-club record 62.8 million pounds (about $80m) in 2019, had one year left on his contract and City had wanted him to sign an extension.
The 30-year-old missed City’s 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday, having only returned to the club’s training ground on Friday following minor back surgery.
Aston Villa are in negotiations over Zion Suzuki, boosting Juventus’ hope of signing Emiliano Martinez, while Arsenal are told price for Victor Osimhen.
Aston Villa are in negotiations to sign Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma after the 23-year-old’s proposed move to Paris St-Germain collapsed. (Talksport), external
Villa’s interest in Suzuki has boosted Juventus’ hope of signing Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, 33, from the Premier League club. (Football Italia), external
Arsenal must offer more than £60m to stand a chance of signing Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, 27, from Galatasaray this summer. (Football Insider), external
Barcelona believe their third offer of 70m euros (£59.8m) for Rodri will be enough to persuade Manchester Cityto sell the Spain midfielder, 30. (AS – in Spanish), external
Newcastlehave revived talks to sign Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha, 31, with Aston Villa and Benfica also interested in the Portugal midfielder. (Mail), external
Inter Milan are keen to sell Brazilian winger Luis Henrique, 24, to fund a move forLiverpool‘s England midfielder Curtis Jones, 25, who is expected to cost about 40m euros (£34m). (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian), external
Chelsea‘s English forward Liam Delap, 23, wants to stay in the Premier League despite interest from Como,with Newcastle and Everton monitoring his situation. (Talksport), external
Barcelona are hopeful of signing Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, 30, by lodging a second bid worth £51.3m. (Times), external
Inter Milan are in talks with Tottenhamover a deal to sign England right-back Djed Spence for 30m euros (£25.6m), with the 26-year-old keen to move to the Serie A champions. (Athletic), external
Manchester United are prioritising Newcastleleft-back Lewis Hall, with the 21-year-old England international also in favour of a move to Old Trafford. (Sun, external)
Chelseaand Manchester Unitedhave been offered the chance to sign England midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly as Arsenalcould be tempted into selling the 19-year-old after the arrival of Brazil international Bruno Guimaraes, 28, from Newcastle. (Football London, external)
Manchester Unitedare considering an opening bid for Club Brugge left-back Joaquin Seys, with the 21-year-old valued at £30m. (Mirror), external
Manchester Unitedalso made a move to sign Real Madrid and Brazil forward Endrick, 20, on loan but manager Jose Mourinho wants to keep him at the Spanish side beyond the summer. (Mirror, external)
Cristian Romero would like to join Arsenal,but Tottenhamhave no intention of allowing the 28-year-old Argentina centre-back to move to their north London rivals. (Sun), external
Spain forward Ferran Torres, 26, has told Barcelona he wants to join Paris St-Germain after agreeing personal terms with the European champions. (ESPN), external
Aston Villa are closing in on a full agreement to sign Italian left-back Matteo Ruggeri, 24, from Atletico Madrid. (Athletic), external
Southampton’s Shea Charles could still move to Leeds if they offer more than Fulham‘s current £30m bid for the Northern Ireland midfielder, 22. (Football Insider), external
Niclas Fullkrug has agreed terms with Venezia but the move has been blocked because of West Ham’s asking price for the Germany striker, 33. (Bild – in German), external
West Ham have reached an agreement in principle to sign Israel winger Manor Solomon, 27, from Tottenham. (Athletic), external
Manchester City are open to selling midfielder Rodri but would demand more than £60m as Barcelona accelerate their interest in signing the Spain captain, sources have told BBC Sport.
The 30-year-old enters the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium and is yet to sign a new deal, with speculation rife about his future this summer.
It looked like Real Madrid would be his next destination but La Liga rivals Barcelona now seem to be leading the race after sources told BBC Sport on Thursday that the club had the player’s approval to open negotiations with City.
Barca sources had initially told BBC Sport there were no guarantees any deal would be made but the situation now looks to be developing.
The club said on Friday they are in ongoing conversations with the player’s representatives.
BBC sources say talks with Real have now ended.
Rodri missed much of the 2024-25 campaign after sustaining a serious knee injury, and parts of last season were disrupted by a hamstring issue.
However, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was back to his best at the World Cup in the summer, leading Spain to their second title and being named player of the tournament.
He is currently out of action after undergoing back surgery last month and is scheduled to link back up with his City team-mates in Manchester early next week.
Approaching the second week of August in the transfer window, City will be aiming to resolve Rodri’s future swiftly in order to sign a replacement.
Talks are ongoing to sign 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, but the French club’s £86m asking price appears to be a sticking point.
Real Madrid confident in securing a deal for Manchester City‘s Rodri, Inter Milan could rekindle move for Liverpool‘s Curtis Jones and Aston Villa have bid for Palmeiras forward Allan rejected.
Real Madrid are confident of signing 30-year-old Spain midfielder Rodri – who has one year left on his contract with Manchester City – for 40-50m euros (£34m-£43m) and a deal could be finalised after a meeting on Thursday. (AS – in Spanish), external
Inter Milan could rekindle their efforts to sign England midfielder Curtis Jones, 25, from Liverpool. Meanwhile, the signing of England centre-back John Stones, 32, on a free transfer could scupper 28-year-old Argentina defender Cristian Romero’s hopes of joining the Italian club from Tottenham.(Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external
Juventus have agreed a deal with Paris St-Germain to sign France striker Randal Kolo Muani from the French champions. The move is for a loan with an obligation to buy and the fee could reach 50m euros (£43m) with add-ons. (Sky Sports Italia – in Italian), external
Fulham are getting closer to signing Spanish duo Cesar Palacios, a 21-year-old attacking midfielder, and 22-year-old Gonzalo Garcia, who is a striker, from Real Madrid, where new Cottagers boss Alvaro Arbeloa had a stint as manager last season. (Athletic – subscription required), external
Nottingham Forest have had a 20m euro offer for 21-year-old Israel international Anan Khalaili, who can play as a right-sided wing-back or winger, rejected by Belgian club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.(Athletic – subscription required), external
Manchester United are open to selling 22-year-old Czech goalkeeper Radek Vitek and English defender Harry Amass, 19, while English midfielders Toby Collyer, 22, and Dan Gore, 21, are also surplus to requirements. (Mail – subscription required), external
Crystal Palace‘s move for Augsburg’s 24-year-old French defender Chrislain Matsima has stalled and the Eagles are looking at other targets. (Standard), external
In his first news conference since succeeding Pep Guardiola last month, Marseca found himself fielding questions about the Catalan, who won 20 trophies in his 10 years at the club.
The 46-year-old knows only too well the tough act he has to follow having worked as Guardiola’s assistant during the 2022-23 Treble winning season.
“I want to say it is a privilege because it’s the reason why the club decided to go for me, that is a privilege,” he said.
“I have said many times, I consider Pep the best coach in the world in the last 20-25 years. It is a challenge [to replace him].”
Maresca, who called time on his time at Chelsea in January after 18 months, acknowledged the challenge of arriving at a club who have had just three managers in 16 years.
“That is not normal and has not happened often,” he said. “I am confident that we can continue to do a great job and continue to do the job that has been done in the last 14, 15 years since Roberto Mancini was here.
“I know the organisation quite well and the people inside the club from years ago. The structure understands to give time for everything.
“Since Manchester City contacted me, I had no doubt about joining this fantastic club.”
Maresca hinted that there were “a few things to do” in the transfer window but would not be drawn on the futures of players including goalkeeper James Trafford, who has been linked with a move away from the club, and returning midfielder Jack Grealish, who spent last season on loan at Everton but is back in training with City.
Spain’s players looked like they were ready to explode as they waited for team captain Rodri to lift the World Cup trophy into the air following their 1-0 win over Argentina in Sunday’s final.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino looked a bit anxious as he wanted the newly crowned champions to have their moment but didn’t want to offend a good friend who happens to be one of the most powerful men in the world.
And President Trump looked rather clueless as he lingered on the stage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., for an awkward amount of time following the trophy presentation.
Trump had watched the championship game from a luxury box with Infantino and First Lady Melania Trump, among many others. He was booed by the crowd during the national anthems and again when he took the field with Infantino after the game for the awards ceremony.
After presenting silver medals to Argentina’s players and gold to Spain’s, Trump and Infantino carried the World Cup trophy together across the stage and handed it to Golden Ball winner Rodri, who was standing in front of his teammates as they awaited their big moment.
The presidents of FIFA and the U.S. both shook hands with Rodri, but only one of them quickly moved off to the side. When Trump hung around to shake hands and speak with midfielder Gavi, Rodri put his hand on the president’s shoulder and appeared to gently nudge him toward the side of the stage away from the group.
As he walked off, Trump shook hands and talked with a few other players, then stopped and stood directly next to the group of players. Infantino sprinted across the stage and appeared to attempt to usher Trump out of frame.
Trump stayed put, however, clapping and smiling until Rodri thrusted the trophy skyward and gold confetti shot from cannons behind them to officially start the celebration. Then Trump strolled away to join Infantino, leaving La Roja’s players to celebrate on their own.
It could have been much worse … like, say, at last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup final, which was also held at MetLife Stadium. Trump accompanied Infantino onstage to present the trophy to Chelsea — but did not accompany him off the stage immediately following the presentation.
Instead, Trump remained out there front and center among the Chelsea players, much to the visable confusion of some of them. He stood right next to Reece James, clapping and smiling as the team captain hoisted the trophy in triumph and a massive celebration erupted around him.
As the president of one of the three 2026 World Cup host countries (with Canada and Mexico), Trump’s presence has loomed large. In December, Infantino awarded Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize during the tournament’s final draw in December.
Earlier this month, Trump called Infantino to have FIFA reconsider a red card against U.S. striker Folarin Balogun that would have prevented the star player from taking part in the American’s round of 16 game against Belgium (the penalty was rescinded, causing international uproar, but the U.S. still lost the game 4-1).
“You don’t need people to compliment you, Mr. President,” Infantino said Friday during a reception hosted by the president at Trump Tower in Manhattan, “but this World Cup would not have been such an incredible success without you,”
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — This summer’s World Cup was so good, nobody wanted it to end.
So Spain and Argentina played on and on in Sunday’s final, through 90 minutes of regulation time and then through a 15-minute extra period before Ferran Torres gave Spain the only goal it needed to claim the title with a 1-0 victory over the defending champion at a sold-out MetLife Stadium.
It was an epic finish to an epic tournament, one that set records for everything from attendance and TV viewers to games played and goals scored. And it was almost certainly the last World Cup for Argentine captain Lionel Messi, 39, who finished his record-setting sixth tournament as the all-time leader in games (34), assists (12) and goal contributions (33).
His parting gift was a silver medal, a handshake from President Trump and a hug from the King of Spain. But none of those were the prize he wanted most, so when he left the stage after receiving his medal, he broke down in tears.
A swarming Spanish defense made him little more than a spectator for most of the match. So while Argentina came into the final leading the tournament in goals per game, it also became the first team to go 90 minutes without a shot in a World Cup final. It was outshot 20-2 for the game, and Spanish keeper Unai Simón, who gave up just one goal in eight matches, was not forced to make a save in registering his seventh clean sheet.
He was named the outstanding keeper of the tournament.
That allowed Torres, who started just once in the tournament, to become the hero.
“Honestly, I can’t believe it. I just am trying to enjoy it, but I don’t know what’s happening,” Torres said. “I didn’t think too much. I just saw the ball coming to me and I just shot with the power of all the Spanish people.”
Spain’s Ferran Torres celebrates after scoring in extra time against Argentina in the World Cup final Sunday.
(Julio Cortez / Associated Press)
Rodri, Spain’s captain and the anchor of the team’s smothering defense during its unbeaten World Cup run, won the Golden Ball award as the outstanding player of the tournament. He was equally stunned.
“I’m in shock,” he said. “I cannot express [my feelings] in words. I’m like in a cloud.”
For Rodri, who also led Spain to a European Championship two years ago, Sunday’s victory capped a personal two-year struggle to return from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament he sustained in 2024, a month before he hobbled onstage with crutches to receive the Ballon d’Or award as the world’s best player.
“It’s been a really tough time,” said the midfielder, who broke the World Cup record for completed passes in the tournament with 747. “I just want new generations to see my example as an opportunity to when you go down, you can rise again. This is my philosophy my entire life.
“Sometimes things go well, things go wrong. But always the positive.”
Highlights from Spain’s 1-0 win over Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday.
The only goal came seconds into the second extra-time period, with defender Pedro Porro sending a long cross to the left post for Nico Williams, who headed it back into the center of the box for Torres, a second-half substitute who buried the left-footed volley that would give Spain its second World Cup title.
Torres, who entered the game just past the hour mark, is the fifth man to come off the bench and score in a World Cup final and the first since Germany’s Mario Gotze, whose extra-time goal beat Argentina in 2014. Williams, who got the assist, was also a late-game substitute.
“We are world champions. I am very proud,” Luis de la Fuente, Spain’s coach, said through an interpreter after his team ran its unbeaten streak to a record 38 games.
“I’m very happy for my players. We’ve won in all the categories. We’ve grown together. We reached this stage today thanks to their talent, to their attitude, to their comportment, to their values and to the huge footballing talent.”
The goal ruined a superhuman effort by Argentine keeper Emiliano Martínez, who made 11 saves while playing with a fractured right ring finger that will require surgery. That’s two more saves than he had over the rest of the tournament.
But the moment that may have sealed Argentina’s fate came in the final minutes of second-half stoppage time when Enzo Fernández clattered into Spanish center back Pau Cubarsí at midfield, flipping him head over heels. Fernández had been booked minutes earlier for dissent, and the second yellow card led to his expulsion, forcing Argentina to finish shorthanded.
Spain wasted little time exploiting the advantage and appeared to have scored six minutes into extra time when Williams banged in the rebound of a Martínez save, only to have Slovakian referee Slavko Vincic wave it off, ruling that Spain’s Mikel Merino had fouled Argentine defender Nicolás Otamendi in the buildup to the goal.
Spain star Lamine Yamal in congratulated by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, left, and receives his medal from President Trump following Spain’s win over Argentina in the World Cup final Sunday.
(Justin Setterfield / Getty Images)
The capacity crowd of 80,663, matching the second-largest of the tournament’s 104 games, booed Trump when he appeared on a videoboard during the national anthem and again when he walked onto the pitch for the postgame awards ceremony.
During the victory ceremony after the final of last summer’s Club World Cup, played at the same stadium, Trump remained on the podium to celebrate with Chelsea’s players and was seen on TV pocketing one of the winners’ medals. On Sunday, after Trump joined FIFA President Gianni Infantino presenting the World Cup trophy to Rodri, the Spanish captain motioned to Trump to move to the left side of the stage. As Spain lifted the trophy, Infantino escorted the president off the podium and away from the celebration.
When Argentina gave the trophy back to Spain, it likely marked a passing of the torch. Argentina has played in three of the last four World Cup finals, but the average age of its starting lineup Sunday was more than 30, making it the second-oldest to play in a final behind the 11 Brazil used to win in 1962. And it got a bit older when Otamendi, 38, came on for 28-year-old Lisandro Martínez, who left with an apparent injury just before the end of the first half.
Argentina star Lionel Messi reacts after losing to Spain in the World Cup final.
(Pamela Smith / Associated Press)
Spain, meanwhile, had the sixth-youngest roster of the 48 teams. Two of La Roja’s starters — teenagers Cubarsí and wunderkind Lamine Yamal — hadn’t even been born when Messi made his World Cup debut in 2006.
“The way this team has matured, it built every day,” said Rodri, the third-oldest starter on the team despite being just 30. “We faced different opponents. Of course, lots of European opponents. But different moments and different types of games and we managed to play all of them.
“We grew in this sense and this generation is making history for our country.”
A history that de la Fuente said is just beginning.
“This team has a long way to go,” he said. “We are already thinking to what is next, what is coming up.”
Sports Editor Iliana Limón Romeroand staff writers Jad El Reda and Eduard Cauich contributed to this report.
Spain players celebrate after defeating Argentina for the World Cup title on Sunday.
