Real Madrid ‘don’t consider Barcelona as rivals’ anymore

Suraj Radia

• 27 Jan 2024 09:47 CST
• 3 min read

Real Madrid have always had a bitter rivalry with Barcelona but those days appear to be over, at least in the transfer market, with Los Blancos reportedly viewing the money from the Premier League as their biggest competition for signings.

Real and Barca have often battled over young stars such as Neymar and Endrick but the financial issues plaguing the Catalan side in recent years has caused the board in Madrid to reassess their rivalry off the pitch.

Spanish outlet Relevo claim that Madrid see it as ‘impossible’ for Barcelona to compete for big players on the market in comparison to teams such as Manchester City being able to offer an ambitious sporting project as well as more money.

Teams such as Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also seen as competitors to Real but Barcelona’s recent history of economic levers and sanctions by La Liga over their wage bill means that they were never able to beat Madrid to the likes of Jude Bellingham.

However, Barcelona’s decline in Real’s eyes is not just financial but also due to the club’s declining image, coming from the levers as well as the ongoing investigation into allegations of bribing refereeing officials.

In addition, the rivalry between Real and other teams is said to have increased, such as Atletico Madrid and the current leaders in La Liga in Girona.

Real see Barca ‘as ally’ in Super League goal

In a twist of fate, Real also finds Barcelona to be its ‘main ally’ in regards to the Super League and, as such, they do not ‘wish any more problems’ onto Xavi’s side to ensure the project can continue.

But three players in particular in the transfer market are quoted as examples of the gap between the sides, such as Erling Haaland, who Barcelona were never in the race for, while Real lost out to City only due to the player’s preference.

Endrick, who will join Real in the summer, was considered ‘unfeasible’ for Barcelona due to the asking price placed on the teenager by Palmeiras, while Arda Guler opted to move to Madrid and turn down Xavi’s men in the process.

Consequently, Barcelona were forced to go for players like Ilkay Gundogan and Vitor Roque, who were still highly rated but not considered in the same tier by Real.