Jose Mourinho personally intervenes to block Real Madrid star's departure

Real Madrid have been busy in the transfer market since the appointment of Jose Mourinho as their manager for the next campaign to end their two-season drought for a major trophy.

Los Blancos have had to watch Barcelona lift La Liga for the past two years, while they have not come close to winning the Champions League or Copa del Rey since winning a double in 2024.

Mourinho has been busy transforming his squad with a focus on his defence as he has brought Ibrahima Konate to the Bernabeu after his contract with Liverpool expired this summer before adding Marc Cucurella after agreeing a deal with Chelsea for the Spanish international.

While the Portuguese manager has been focused on rebuilding his defence, he was quick to ensure that he did not lose one of his striking options, personally stepping in to stop a departure.

Gonzalo Garcia made 39 appearances for Real Madrid last season, contributing eight goals and three assists across all competitions under both Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.

Real Madrid

It was believed the Spanish international was going to leave this summer to be able to get a more prominent role, but according to journalist Matteo Moretto as reported by Marca, the Portuguese manager wants to personally assess his ability before allowing him to depart.

Garcia can play across the forward positions; however, his main role would be as a centre forward, meaning he could be in direct competition with Kylian Mbappe for a starting place.

The 22-year-old will have seen former teammate and fellow academy graduate Victor Munoz make the move to Liverpool this summer.

Munoz made the decision at the start of last season to make the move to Osasuna to get more first-team minutes, and this has paid off as he demonstrated his qualities, earning him this move to the Premier League and a place in the World Cup squad for Spain.

So, Garcia may have been envisaging something similar for his career; however, this decision by Mourinho could spell a different path and perhaps an opportunity to become a more important cog at Real Madrid.