Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane cannot be forgiven for failing to sign Manchester City’s Ferran Torres and signing Rodrygo instead.
That’s according to Que! Journalist Manolo Portillo today, who says that the failure to sign the Spaniard is one that ‘will not go under the table’ for the French boss.
Torres joined Manchester City in a £20.7m deal from Valencia this summer, with City taking advantage of the Spanish side’s precarious financial situation to secure the youngster.
He’s made a flying start to life at the Etihad, with three goals and two assists in seven games in all competitions, including goals in both of their Champions League games so far.
Before the move, he had been linked with Spain’s biggest teams, including Real Madrid, with Portillo explaining that many thought he would move to the Bernabeu.
That didn’t happen, though, because they ‘did not insist’ on his signing and Zidane ‘was not interested’ in him, which was a ‘serious mistake’ according to the journalist.
He explains that Real Madrid had planned to sell Rodrygo and Torres was an option, but Zidane insisted he wanted to keep the Brazilian.
Thus they placed their trust in the South American and ‘refrained’ from going for Torres, despite him having ‘given signals’ that he wanted the move.
This situation was ‘taken advantage of by City’, who did not think twice to go for him and close a deal with Valencia.
Back in Madrid, they are waiting for Rodrygo to ‘explode’ but he has not had a good start to the season and been ‘practically a discard’ for Zidane so far.
That’s led executives at the club to ‘regret’ not brining in Torres, who has enjoyed a much more substantial start to life with Manchester City.
Furthermore, his price tag of €25m is ‘much less’ than what it cost to sign Rodrygo, further adding to their disappointment.
Of course, things could change moving forward, that’s the nature of football, but at the minute it appears Man City have pulled off a coup, something Madrid are more than aware of.
