Real Madrid have essentially received a public “hands-off” warning from Jorge Mendes regarding interest in his clients Vitinha and Joao Neves.
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Real Madrid has essentially received a public “hands-off” warning from Jorge Mendes regarding interest in his clients Vitinha and Joao Neves.
“Vitinha and Joao were never an option for anyone,” the Portuguese super-agent told transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, as reported by the Italian on X.
“They are non-negotiable for Paris Saint-Germain and they are very, very happy at PSG – they will continue collecting trophies,” Mendes added.
Though it is unlikely Madrid would be able to afford both midfielders at the same time, they have attracted interest for different reasons.
Much of the La Liga giant’s failure to deliver major silverware in the past two seasons has been put down to being unable to fill the void left by club legends Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
While Kroos retired from football in 2024 after winning the Champions League, Modric stayed at the Bernabeu for another season and continues his trade at AC Milan.
In Vitinha, Madrid would acquire someone with the playmaking abilities of Kroos while Neves provides the intensity and muscle Los Blancos have lacked in the center of the park.
Without doing anyone a disservice, however, all four of these men are, or were, world class passers of the ball with impressive vision.
Real Madrid might need to turn its focus towards another midfielder
With Vitinha and Neves both seemingly out of bounds, Madrid might have to turn its attention towards another midfielder.
That could be Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, who has previously flirted with Madrid in public while punished by his Premier League employers for doing so.
One obstacle is Fernandez’s baseball-esque contract until 2032, signed when he joined the west Londoners in a $143.35 million (£107 million) deal from Benfica after winning the World Cup with Argentina.
Yet BBC Sport recently reported that Fernandez wants to leave Chelsea, who will demand at least $160 million (£120 million) for the River Plate youth product.
After bidding $175 million (€150 million) for a player – namely Julian Alvarez – on Tuesday as Florentino Perez promised he would on the campaign trail to re-election, however, Real Madrid clearly has the money if it is serious about Fernandez.