Real Madrid Turns to Ajax's Mokio After Rodri's Shift to Barcelona

Real Madrid have accepted that Rodri is slipping from their grasp and heading towards Barcelona – and they are already moving on to Plan B. Or, more accurately, Plan Future.

Florentino Pérez’s priority for the summer was clear: bring in a ready-made leader for the heart of the midfield. Rodri, the metronome of Manchester City and a pillar of Spain’s national team, was seen as the ideal figure to bring veteran authority and tactical order to the Santiago Bernabéu engine room.

That vision is fading fast.

Reports in Spain say Rodri is increasingly leaning towards Barcelona’s project at Camp Nou, a twist that cuts deep given the rivalry and the symbolism. Madrid, though, have not waited to lick their wounds. The response has been swift and decisive: activate a €30 million contingency plan and pivot towards one of Europe’s brightest teenagers.

From finished article to long-term bet

The new name on the Madrid agenda is Mokio, the 18-year-old Ajax sensation, according to Fichajes. Club scouts are convinced the versatile defensive midfielder has the frame, intensity and upside to grow into a dominant force in La Liga.

This is a very different play.

Rodri would have arrived as a €60m-plus, fully formed reference point, a plug-and-play solution for the present. Mokio is the opposite: a project, a long-term investment, a bet that the next great Bernabéu midfielder might still be in the making rather than already on the Ballon d’Or shortlist.

Yet his résumé at Ajax is no fairy tale built on youth clips and promise alone. By the time he signed his latest contract extension in April 2026, Mokio had already collected 48 senior appearances and scored six goals for the Amsterdam giants. That is serious exposure for a teenager at a club that does not hand out minutes lightly.

Coaches at Ajax have used him in several tactical roles across midfield, a flexibility that only boosts his attraction for Madrid’s decision-makers. In a squad that has thrived on players capable of shifting between systems and positions, Mokio’s profile fits the trend.

Ajax hold the cards

Signing him, however, will not be as simple as wiring €30m and waiting for the presentation photos.

Ajax are under no financial strain that would force a sale. Mokio is locked into a long contract running until 30 June 2031, a statement in itself of how highly the Dutch club value their academy jewel. They know exactly what they have, and they are in no rush to cash in.

The early figures coming out of Madrid suggest a €30m valuation as the opening stance from the Spanish capital. That may get the conversation started, but it is unlikely to close it. Ajax can justifiably demand a premium for a homegrown talent who has already become a first-team fixture and is tied down for the long term.

For Madrid, the challenge is twofold. They must convince Ajax that this is the right time to sell a player they have just rewarded with a lengthy deal, and they must persuade Mokio that leaving so soon after committing his future in Amsterdam is the right step for his career.

Waiting on Rodri before the next move

Timing now becomes critical.

Madrid will not launch formal negotiations with Ajax until Rodri’s move to Barcelona is officially sealed. As long as there is even a sliver of doubt, the club hierarchy will keep the door slightly ajar for their original target.

Once the City midfielder’s switch to Catalonia is confirmed, the picture changes. At that moment, Madrid are expected to accelerate talks with Ajax and test just how firm that 2031 contract really is.

Landing Mokio would fit neatly into a pattern that has defined much of Madrid’s recent recruitment. From snapping up teenage talents before their value explodes to building squads around players who grow into superstardom in white, this would be another step in a strategy that prioritises tomorrow as much as today.

This time, though, the backdrop is different. Losing Rodri to Barcelona would sting. The response might be to double down on the future and bet that the next great midfield anchor at the Bernabéu is not the one slipping away, but the teenager waiting to be prised out of Amsterdam.