Jose Mourinho Declares Real Madrid Squad Closed Despite Rodri Signing

Jose Mourinho insists he is “very happy” with his Real Madrid squad and considers it “closed” – even after watching Barcelona swoop in to sign Rodri, the midfielder he wanted.

Madrid have rebuilt aggressively this summer, bringing in six new faces. Record signing Yan Diomande headlines the arrivals, joined by Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella in a window that has reshaped large parts of the dressing room.

The one gap? Central midfield.

Madrid’s pursuit of Rodri collapsed, leaving Silva as the only reinforcement in the middle of the pitch. For a club still learning to live without Toni Kroos and with Luka Modric on his way out in 2025, that feels like a risky bet.

Mourinho does not see it that way.

“For me the squad is closed, but the market is still open – you never know if a player will come and say ‘I’ve been benched twice and I want to leave,’” he told reporters on Tuesday. “In theory, no [more deals]… but something could always happen… In my head the squad is closed, and I have not asked for anyone. I am very happy with the players I have.”

Kroos walked away in 2024. Modric will follow a year later. Since then, Madrid have struggled to dictate games with the same icy control that defined an era. The opening weekend offered another reminder.

Mourinho’s side needed a late winner to escape Espanyol with a 2-1 victory in their La Liga opener, a result that owed more to resilience than rhythm. Silva started in midfield alongside Federico Valverde, a pairing that gave flashes of quality but not yet the iron grip Madrid once took for granted.

Now comes Real Sociedad on Wednesday, and Mourinho must juggle again.

Aurelien Tchouameni, the French defensive midfielder expected to anchor this new-look side, is not ready.

“He’s got a problem, the holiday time wasn’t enough [for him to recover], seeing the games approaching, the player wanted to try … but we’ve decided that you can’t start a season in suffering,” Mourinho explained. “You can finish a season suffering, the last couple of months, but you can’t start in August not at 100 percent.

“So we decided with him, the staff, the medical department, to get him to return at 100 percent.”

That decision throws more responsibility onto Valverde, a player coaches have shuffled across the pitch for years. Right-back, right winger, box-to-box runner – he has done it all. Mourinho, though, has a far clearer idea.

“For me he is a player for the centre of the pitch,” he said. “Depending on the opponent and our objectives, he might be more set in his position or more mobile.”

That line hints at the tactical fluidity Mourinho wants from this Madrid. Roles will blur. Numbers on a teamsheet will matter less than zones occupied once the whistle goes.

“I don’t want to identify Tchouameni as the No. 6, Camavinga No. 6, Fede No. 8, Bernardo No. 10 … things dilute during games,” he added.

So the window stays open, Rodri wears Barcelona colours, and Madrid move on with what they have. Mourinho calls the squad complete. The season will decide whether that conviction holds or whether this midfield, stripped of Kroos and soon Modric, can truly carry Real Madrid through the battles to come.