Premier League side are 'serious contenders' to sign Real Madrid star who 'refused to play'

A Real Madrid star who is reportedly refusing to play for the club has been linked with a move to the Premier League.

It has been a poor season for Los Blancos domestically after they were beaten to the La Liga title by arch rivals Barcelona.

The Catalan club also won the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana, meaning Madrid will end the 24/25 season with zero domestic trophies.

In Europe, Madrid won the UEFA Super Cup but were knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Arsenal.

Looking ahead, it is set to be a summer of change for Madrid, with Carlo Ancelotti leaving to take over the Brazilian national team.

Former player Xabi Alonso is expected to become Madrid's new boss after he confirmed his decision to leave Bayer Leverkusen.

Xabi Alonso is expected to become the new boss of Real Madrid. Image: Getty

Meanwhile, it was recently claimed that Brazilian winger Rodrygo is refusing to play for the club, with the situation described as 'tense'.

As reported by Spanish news outlet MARCA, the player feels “displaced” after the “media explosion” surrounding the arrivals of Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe in recent seasons, which has created a “rift” with Vini Jr.

The report added that “Rodrygo is currently confined to his home, clearly angry at having lost the leading role he hoped to have alongside Vinicius”, with suggestions that he no longer wants to play for the club.

With the summer transfer window on the horizon, Rodrygo has been linked with a move to the Premier League and Arsenal are said to be genuine contenders to sign the forward.

Alex Crook of talkSPORT said: "I got a message earlier this week saying keep an eye on Arsenal and Rodrygo.

"Is there a suggestion in Spain that they might cash in on him this summer?"

Rodrygo has been linked with a move away from Real Madrid. Image: Getty

To which ESPN's Spanish correspondent Sam Marsden said: "Yeah, more than a suggestion. I think that Real Madrid have to make a big decision this summer.

"Rodrygo seems to be the one that's being pushed towards the door, I think one of Rodrygo or potentially even Vinicius Jr has to go. Because you've got [Kylian] Mbappe, you've got Vinicius Jr, they all want that same space. I don't know how much of a say Xabi Alonso will have in things."

He added: "Rodrygo has made it clear he wants to play on the left, he's been playing on the right at Real Madrid so he's the most obvious one to go."