Daniel Levy wanted to sign one of Europe’s most frightening wingers for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window before his exit, according to a report, with another source suggesting that Spurs manager Thomas Frank could get another chance to bring him to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham were very active in the summer, as the north London club aim to build on last season’s Europa League success by finishing in the Premier League top four and making an impact in the Champions League in the 2025/26 campaign.
Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani were among the players that Tottenham signed in the summer transfer window.
Rodrygo was also a player that Tottenham looked at signing in the summer transfer window, with TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, reporting on August 4 that the Premier League club were targeting the Brazil international as a replacement for Son Heung-min, who left for Los Angeles FC.
Sources told TEAMtalk that Real Madrid were willing to sell Rodrygo for €100million (£86.2m, $116m).
In the end, Rodrygo stayed at Madrid, but it has now emerged in the Spanish media that Daniel Levy was willing to pay the winger’s asking price before he eventually left his role as the Tottenham chairman last week.
According to Defensa Central, a Real Madrid-centric news outlet, Levy tried to make ‘ a historic signing’ for Tottenham and was ‘willing to offer’ €100m (£86.2m, $116m) for Rodrygo.
Although Real Madrid did not receive any offer from Tottenham, Rodrygo was aware of how keen Spurs were to team him up with manager Frank.
If Tottenham had signed Rodrygo for €100m (£86.2m, $116m), then the three-time LaLiga and two-time Champions League winner would have been the Premier League club’s record signing, with Dominic Solanke currently Spurs’ most expensive player at £65m (including add-ons) (€75m, $88m).
Rodrygo has made a total of 272 appearances for Real Madrid so far in his career.
The Brazilian superstar has scored 68 goals and given 51 assists in those games.
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Could Tottenham sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid in January?
Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool were also interested in Rodrygo in the summer transfer window, and it is hard to imagine that their admiration for the Brazilian star would have waned.
According to TBR journalist Graeme Bailey, Rodrygo could leave Real Madrid in the January transfer window, with Arsenal and Man City still keen on him.
The winger wants to see how much playing time he gets in the coming months, with the 24-year-old aware that a place in the Brazil squad for the 2026 World Cup finals is at stake.
Bailey told TBR: “I was speaking to his camp in Madrid… I’m told that Vinicius and Mbappe, who we did a story about a few weeks ago, encouraging him to stay, played a huge part in his decision.
“His teammates really put their arms around him and said, ‘Look, you’re a massive player here. You don’t need to leave.’
“He’s decided to stay until January, but we’ll need to keep an eye on his situation.
“He’ll probably post on social media when he’s not playing and looks unhappy.
“We’ll see how he progresses because [Carlo] Ancelotti did warn him in the summer, even dropping him from the last [Brazil] squad, about limited game time.
“He’s giving it until January, and if he’s still not getting the minutes he needs, he may move in the January window.
“That said, he could also usurp Arda Güler and work his way back into the starting line-up.
“On deadline day, it was very quiet regarding Rodrygo. I think he just decided to stay, and obviously City and Arsenal were aware of that.
“Madrid were willing to do a deal if he wanted to go, so it was really all on the player — there was no point in bidding because the player had already made his intentions clear.”
The problem that Tottenham could face if they go back for Rodrygo in January is convincing the winger to join Frank’s team.
The Spanish press were adamant that Rodrygo preferred Liverpool to Tottenham.
If the likes of Arsenal and Man City go back for the forward in January, then Spurs could face a similar problem.
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