Real Madrid are looking to sign Wolfsburg left-back Ricardo Rodriguez as a replacement for Portuguese defender Fabio Coentrao, with the 27-year-old set to be sold by Los Blancos.
Coentrao has struggled with recurrent muscle injuries since his move to the Spanish capital in 2011, and has only managed 55 league appearances for the Santiago Bernabeu outfit in 4 years. His irregular performances have also seen him play second fiddle to Brazilian Marcelo, and seemingly Real are looking to get rid of the Portuguese. Ricardo Rodriguez, a possible replacement was a key-member of the Wolfsburg team which finished second behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and won the German Cup.
Ricardo Rodriguez is also a target for Manchester United
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The Real Madrid hierarchy along with Rafa Benitez have been looking at the possibility of strengthening the team at the left-back position, with a number of targets being discussed.
The Spanish newspaper Marca’s report, reads:
With Jos Luis Gay out of the running, Real Madrid’s list of possible left-back reinforcements has been whittled down to Bayern’s David Alaba, who was put forward by his agent; Porto’s Brazilian defender, Alex Sandro; Augsburg’s young Ghanaian, Baba Rahman, and the ‘Casa Blanca’ favourite, the Swiss-Spanish player Ricardo Rodr guez, who currently plays for Wolfsburg.
It further reports, that scouts had been sent to Germany last season to witness the 22-year-old in action, with Real Madrid set to open preliminary negotiations with the Bundesliga club shortly. Although a deal is far from being concluded, it is believed that Real Madrid would look to complete the deal in the next week or so.
Manchester United are also said to be interested in the signing of the Swedish international, after his agent claimed that the Red Devils had made contact with Wolfsburg regarding a A?21.5 million move.
Will Rodriguez help Real Madrid in their quest for World domination?
The Los Blancos have had a relatively quiet transfer window by their standards, with Brazilian full-back Danilo being the only addition from FC Porto. Real Madrid have had a stellar front line in recent years, scoring goals for fun, however their defense remains a worry, leaking a lot of goals, especially in crucial matches.
With the arrival of Rafa Benitez and his heavy emphasis on defensive coaching, this is likely to improve, and the Spaniard is also insistent on addition of some defensive reinforcements, as Coentrao is perennially injured, leaving Marcelo as the only recognized left-back in his side. While Ricardo Rodriguez’s arrival might not necessarily mean that Real Madrid would be winning the treble this season, it would definitely see a drop in the huge number of goals conceded by them.