- 18 hours ago
The Transfers Podcast: Real Madrid Rodrygo SALE, Vini Jr WAR with Mbappe, Gyokeres REJECTS Man Utd
Suraj Radia
- 28 Mar 2025 01:00 CDT
- 5 min read
News
The Transfers Podcast, powered by FootballTransfers.com and hosted by Duncan Castles, brings you the latest news and insight from the world of football.
With the season reaching a pivotal point, this week’s episode looks at some of the potential summer movements with Real Madrid both on and off the pitch, as well as news about Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United.
LISTEN TO THE LATEST EPISODE HERE
Real Madrid ready to call Vinicius Junior’s bluff in contract war
Real Madrid are ‘ready to call Vinicius Junior’s bluff’ in contract talks and would be open to selling him to the Saudi Pro League this summer, The Transfers Podcast understands.
“Madrid have got tired of Vinicius saying ‘I have this huge offer from Saudi Arabia, you're going to have to make me the best paid player in the club’,” Castles said on the latest episode of The Transfers Podcast.
“[Real] have essentially said, ‘well, look, if you've got such a good offer, you should take that offer up because we are not going to give you a better salary than Kylian Mbappe.’”
“The feedback I'm getting is that he's become a relatively difficult player to handle,” Castles added. “He’s problematic, they feel, outside the dressing room, and he doesn't always put the team's interests first.”
Liverpool ‘happy’ to sell Nunez to Saudi Pro League
Liverpool are bracing themselves to receive a big proposal for Darwin Nunez this summer from the Saudi Pro League.
“Liverpool would be happy if the Saudis came in and would encourage a move for Nunez. They would like to get some kind of significant return on the initial €75 million that they paid Benfica three years ago,” Castles said on the latest episode of The Transfers Podcast.
“From the Saudi perspective, [Nunez] still has that ability to be a name within the Saudi game and to deliver goals with his physicality. Interestingly, I’m told that his girlfriend, Lorena Manas, who is the ex-wife of former Barcelona player Aleix Vidal, has been working with agents to explore opportunities elsewhere.
“So it looks like this is both sides pushing against the same door with Nunez, or at least Nunez’s partner, encouraging him to look for a move and Liverpool happy to sell the player with a strong, affluent potential buyer in Saudi Arabia.”
Gyokeres turned down Man Utd transfer to win titles
Viktor Gyokeres rejected a transfer to Manchester United in January as he wants his next transfer to be a club where he can prove his credentials and win trophies.
“He wants to go to a club where he can prove himself, where he can win trophies, and his assessment of where Manchester United are at the moment is that is not the option to take in a summer where he'll be turning 27,” Castles said on the latest episode of The Transfers Podcast.
“He's going to look at the clubs that are making him offers and pick the one that he thinks is the best place to demonstrate his time in England in the lower division and at Brighton weren't an accurate representation of his abilities as a player, and that what he's done in Portugal can be replicated in the English League or elsewhere in Europe.”
“He will be available this summer,” Castles added. “Sporting have a gentleman's agreement that he can leave for around €80m. What I'm hearing is that his agents will try and push that fee down to €60-70m."
Real Madrid to consider Rodrygo sale
Vinicius’ future could have a significant impact on his teammate Rodrygo, with Castles hinting that one of the pair could be sold this summer.
Castles said: “Rodrygo is also a player we should pay attention to in the market because if Vinicius does renew his contract then Madrid will look to place Rodrigo in the market again, and there is lots of interest in him.
“There was significant interest in Rodrygo from Manchester City last summer and plenty of other interest in in Europe for a player who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €96m in SciSports analytics.
Current ETV
Rodrygo
F (R), M (RL)
Real Madrid
Rodrygo
F (R), M (RL)
Real Madrid
ETV Range
€86.4M - €105.6M
“I think that's a pretty realistic assessment of what Madrid would ask for should they decide to go down that line in the summer.”
Alonso uncertain over replacing Ancelotti at Real Madrid
Real Madrid will also consider the future of Carlo Ancelotti in the summer, although their ideal target Xabi Alonso has yet to decide over his future.
In the last couple of weeks, I'm just hearing a little bit different and there's not a degree of certainty that Alonso actually wants to come at the moment,” Castles said.
“There is a sense that AlonSo is assessing himself, the state of Madrid, state of that dressing room, the complications involved and whether it's the right time to move to Madrid this summer, or whether he chooses to extend his stay in Germany, or even look at other options.”
The Transfers Podcast co-host Ronan Murphy also added that Alonso had been searching for a bigger home in Dusseldorf, indicating that he may be considering a longer stay with Bayer Leverkusen.
The Transfers Podcast
Join the Transfers Podcast chat on WhatsApp
The Transfers Podcast, powered by FootballTransfers, is available on your preferred podcast platform and YouTube. Subscribe here:
