Few Real Madrid players escaped criticism during an underwhelming 2025-26 season that ended, like the one before it, without a major trophy. Eduardo Camavinga’s year was among the hardest to watch. He wasn’t an automatic starter for either Xabi Alonso or Álvaro Arbeloa, and he didn’t make the most of the chances either manager gave him.

The low point came in the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich. Chasing a comeback at the Allianz Arena after losing the first leg at the Bernabéu, Real Madrid’s task became close to impossible when Camavinga picked up two red cards in the space of a few minutes.

Then came a personal blow on top of the football: Didier Deschamps left him out of France’s World Cup squad entirely on May 14, closing the door on a tournament Camavinga had hoped would help him reset his season.

Real Madrid want to sell — Camavinga doesn’t want to go

That combination has left his Bernabéu future genuinely uncertain, especially with the club looking to free up funds for incoming signings. Real Madrid have reportedly accepted approaches from both Manchester City and Manchester United, and some reports this week describe the club as no longer treating him as untouchable, valuing him at around €60 million as a possible funding source for other targets. But according to Marca and several other outlets, Camavinga isn’t entertaining any of it — he’s sticking to the plan he made at the end of last season: win his place back at Real Madrid, not leave to find one elsewhere.

A working holiday

During the break, Camavinga travelled to Boston for a four-day executive program on the Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports at Harvard Business School — but he combined it with a strict personal training regimen to make sure he came back for pre-season in peak shape.

He understands exactly what’s riding on these next few weeks. Mourinho picks his starters on merit, and a player with Camavinga’s profile — technical, versatile, capable of playing multiple midfield roles — fits the kind of squad the Portuguese is trying to build.

RMxtra Verdict

This is shaping up as a genuine standoff: the club wants the sale to help fund its other targets, and the player is refusing to help make it happen. A meeting with Mourinho once full pre-season training begins is likely to be the moment that actually decides which side gives way — for now, it’s Camavinga’s performances on the training pitch doing the talking