Real Madrid’s move to sign Manchester City midfielder Rodri comes as good news for Manchester United.
Los Blancos were not thought to be keen on buying the Spaniard this summer but performed a surprise U-turn after he captained Spain to a second World Cup title and won the Golden Ball in doing so.
As of Friday evening, they were working to prepare a bid for the player and are said to be confident of reaching an agreement with City, comfortable in the knowledge that Rodri wants to move back home to Madrid.
Transfer news LIVE! All the latest gossip, rumours and done deals
Should the deal go through, it could trigger a domino effect allowing United to sign one of their dream summer targets - Aurelien Tchouameni.
The Frenchman has been widely tipped to leave Real this summer as Jose Mourinho works to overhaul his squad. That is down in part to his high-profile falling out with Federico Valverde, which culminated in a physical fight at the training ground and saw Valverde hospitalised.
United, though, see him as an ideal puzzle piece as Michael Carrick continues to rebuild his midfield. He has already invested some £80m in the signings of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, but are keen to add one more pair of legs. They have long since considered Tchouameni a dream target in this window.
The arrival of Rodri in Tchouameni’s same position would make the Frenchman surplus to requirements, and his departure could suit all parties.
Reports suggest Tchouameni could be tempted away from Real by a bid of around £68m.
With a nine-figure move for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande also in the offing, Real will need to raise funds this summer and Tchouameni seems a sensible means of doing so, presenting a market opportunity for United.
United has also been linked with Tchouameni’s France team-mate Manu Kone, who is a considerably cheaper option.
