How Rodrygo and Vinicius are helping Real Madrid sign Bellingham and Endrick

Robin Bairner

• 28 Oct 2022 12:38 BST
• 3 min read

Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Eder Militao have all been granted Spanish citizenship, offering their club far more flexibility in the transfer market.

Clubs in La Liga are offered three slots that can be used by players who are not European Union (EU) nationals, which Los Blancos previously filled with the aforementioned trio.

With Vini Jr, Rodrygo and Eder Having been granted Spanish citizenship, though, it means that Carlo Ancelotti’s men are free to pursue targets from further afield.

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In the summer, for instance, they were unable to chase deals for numerous South American players who they could not have registered without first selling or unregistering one of their established stars.

The players that Real Madrid are most closely linked with who this could affect are Palmeiras pair Danilo and Endrick. The competition for this duo is likely to be intense, although the 16-year-old forward who has already been breaking records just weeks into his short career, is still a couple of years away from leaving the club.

For Danilo, though, having a free slot could prove important. Arsenal are closely linked with a move for the midfielder in the January transfer window, so if a bidding war does indeed open, Real Madrid will have the flexibility they need to react to it.

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Similarly, if Real Madrid move for Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham in the summer, they will have to use a slot for the England international following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

Free slots are vital

In truth, simply having one free slot was the important thing for Madrid at this juncture, although having three is clearly preferable. They are unlikely to fill these positions quickly, but the additional agility it provides in the transfer market is precious.

For instance, Barcelona only have one of their non-EU slots occupied at present. That is taken up by Ronald Araujo. Although they have other players from outside of the EU, they possess citizenship of a country within its borders.

This bureaucratic move, then, opens the door for the likes of Danilo and Bellingham to join up at the Bernabeu.