Following Real Madrid's heavy 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, another development has shocked the club - Alvaro Rodriguez, one of the academy talents, has made public his desire to leave the team immediately.
The 20-year-old Uruguayan, who scored his first La Liga goal against Atletico Madrid in February 2023, has stated that he cannot wait any longer for a place in the first team:
"I'm 20 years old. I think I should leave. I can't wait forever for the first team," he told Post United (via AS).
"I will continue my journey with the aim of returning. My dream is to play for Real Madrid and I will fight to achieve this, but to do that, I have to leave first."
Rodriguez was left out of Xabi Alonso's World Cup squad, as the coach decided to bring in 18-year-old Gonzalo Garcia, who ultimately scored 3 goals in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez has just returned from a loan spell at Getafe, where he recorded 3 goals in 26 appearances, but his absence from the tournament roster and exclusion from pre-season training with the first team appear to have hastened his decision.
He also revealed that before choosing Real Madrid in 2020, there was also interest from Barcelona, Espanyol and Manchester United:
"My mother told the agent that I would only go to Madrid, even though they hadn't called me yet. I think United also asked for me. The manager even bought me an English dictionary."
This is another potential departure from Madrid following Luka Modrić, who has already moved to AC Milan, and Lucas Vázquez, who also left on a free transfer after the tournament. At the same time, the club have made a reinforcement with Álvaro Carreras, a former academy player, returning from Benfica for an initial fee of 45 million euros.
Rodriguez expressed understanding for the club's decision to prefer Gonzalo, but it is clear that he wants more minutes and responsibility - something he currently does not see as feasible at the Santiago Bernabéu.
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