Tottenham Hotspur may have found their answer to Xavi Simons’ struggles at Real Madrid.
Spurs signed the Dutchman – ranked at no.8 in FourFourTwo's list of the best attacking midfielders in the world right now – from RB Leipzig in the summer for £52m.
While the 22-year-old has shown promise, and linked attacks neatly in games, his top-line stats – two assists and no goals in 14 outings – is not the return anyone at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would have been hoping for.
Tottenham look to Real Madrid for Xavi Simons solution
As such, Spurs have already been looking to the transfer market for potential solutions.
Rather than searching for a Simons replacement just 14 games into the young attacker’s Tottenham career, the higher-ups in north London are looking for players who could complement the former Leipzig man.
In that search, they have landed on Real Madrid winger Rodrygo, according to a report from Fichajes.
The Brazilian has fallen out of favour in the Spanish capital, starting just two of Los Blancos’ first 12 La Liga games, and just once in the Champions League.
Based on the report from the Spanish outlet, a deal is there to be done for around €80m, which is believed to be of interest to Spurs.
Tottenham are said to be keen on the boost that Rodrygo could provide to both Simons and James Maddison, when the latter returns from injury.
Rodrygo can play across the front three, so would provide Thomas Frank with plenty of options when building his attack around Simons in the no.10 role.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, this is an eye-catching deal but certainly one you could see working for all the parties involved.
As much as Xabi Alonso pays lip service to Rodrygo being in his plans, the stats – and teamsheets – don’t lie: he is clearly not in the forefront of the Spaniard’s mind.
Rodrygo is too talented to play a bit part role in any team, even Madrid, and with Spurs able to offer competitive football in the Premier League and Champions League, it might be the move the Brazilian needs ahead of the World Cup.