Jose Mourinho Confirms Real Madrid Squad is Closed

Jose Mourinho is drawing a line under Real Madrid’s transfer business – at least in his own mind.

The Portuguese coach insisted he is “very happy” with a squad he already considers “closed”, even after Madrid failed in their attempt to land midfielder Rodri, who instead joined bitter rivals Barcelona.

Madrid shut the door… sort of

It has been a summer of heavy renovation at the Bernabeu. Six new faces have arrived, headlined by record signing Yan Diomande, with Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella also coming through the door as Madrid reshaped a squad that has lost some of its old guard.

Yet the one area many expected Madrid to reinforce most – midfield – remains relatively untouched. Beyond the capture of former Manchester City playmaker Silva, the failed Rodri pursuit means there is no new specialist to ease the burden in the centre of the pitch.

“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,’” Mourinho 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.”

Life after Kroos and Modric

The context is unforgiving. With Toni Kroos and Luka Modric departing in 2024 and 2025 respectively, Madrid have struggled to exert the same level of control in matches that defined their peak years.

That frailty was on show in their La Liga opener at Espanyol, where Mourinho’s side needed a late goal to scrape a 2-1 win. Silva started in midfield alongside Federico Valverde as Madrid searched for a new balance in the engine room.

The short-term picture will not be helped by the absence of Aurelien Tchouameni against Real Sociedad on Wednesday. Mourinho ruled the French defensive midfielder out, stressing that he is not yet ready to start the season.

“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.”

Valverde at the heart of it

With Tchouameni sidelined and no Rodri to anchor the midfield, Mourinho is placing his trust firmly in Valverde in central areas. Previous Madrid coaches have used the Uruguayan everywhere from right-back to right wing. Mourinho sees something different.

“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.”

The message is clear: Valverde is a midfielder first, a utility option second.

Positions that blur, roles that shift

As the questions circled around depth and defined roles, Mourinho pushed back against rigid labels in his squad.

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

For now, Madrid head into the season with a rebuilt squad, an unfinished-looking midfield, and a coach adamant that he has enough. The market may still be open, but Mourinho has nailed his colours to this dressing room.