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Tottenham Hotspur keen to reignite interest in La Liga star; PL rivals in the driving seat

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 8:55 AM ET

Manchester City would be favourites to sign Tottenham Hotspur-linked Rodrygo if he decides to leave Real Madrid this January

Tottenham Hotspur are entering into a new era with Daniel Levy stepping down from the chairman’s post after 25 years in charge. His exit might just open the door for the kind of high-profile signings that the fans have craved for a very long time.

Daniel Levy loosened his purse strings in the recently concluded summer transfer window, bringing in five new faces to the club and turning the loans of Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel into permanent deals. The 63-year-old pushed for the signings of Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani in the final week of the transfer window and got them in.

However, the Lilywhites were unable to land the other marquee names that they were interested in. One such player who was heavily linked with a move to White Hart Lane in the summer was Real Madrid forward Rodrygo.

Manchester City favourites to sign Tottenham-linked Real Madrid star

Rodrygo has seen little playing time at Real Madrid under new manager Xabi Alonso. The Spanish tactician rarely used the 24-year-old in the Club World Cup earlier in the summer. This had led to a lot of speculation surrounding the Brazilian international’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu, but eventually, he stayed put at the club.

The forward has featured in two of Real Madrid’s three La Liga games of the new season. This resulted in him not being called up to the Brazil squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia, and that has seemingly not gone down well with Rodrygo. The lack of minutes has led to fresh speculation over a potential January departure, particularly as Los Blancos are still open to do business at the right price.

Now, according to a report from CaughtOffside, Manchester City are leading the race to sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid. They are prepared to explore a deal in January, with Real’s new valuation of around €80 million seen as realistic for Pep Guardiola’s side.

A summer bid was expected had Savinho moved to Tottenham, but with Manchester City blocking his move eventually, Rodrygo’s pursuit was put on the backburner.

Tottenham willing to show ambition in the transfer market in the post-Levy era

Tottenham were eyeing a move for the Brazilian to replace our club legend Son Heung-min, who departed for MLS club Los Angeles in mid-August. A move did not transpire in the summer, but they might get another chance to try signing him when the transfer window reopens in the New Year.

The Brazilian star is a very ambitious transfer target, and pulling off this deal would represent Spurs are actually making progress as a club. He’d be a top replacement for Son and add more potency to Thomas Frank’s attacking unit. However, with Man City currently deemed as favourites for his signature if Rodrygo decides to leave Madrid in January, the Lilywhites faces a mammoth task to lure him to north London.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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