Manchester City's chances of keeping star player Rodri this summer have taken a blow after Barcelona joined Real Madrid in trying to sign him. Rodri is in the final year of his contract with City and it is looking increasingly likely that he will be tempted back to Spain.
City desperate to keep midfielder
As revealed by Mirror Football, City are desperate to keep hold of their key midfielder, with new manager Enzo Maresca wanting to build his team around him. However, Rodri has given no indication that he wants to sign a new contract and recently spoke of a desire to return to play in his native Spain.
Real Madrid made their interest known last month and had been confident of striking a deal for the World Cup winner. But the introduction of Barcelona into the situation could change things.
Barcelona's interest
Barca have decided to join the race after learning that Frenkie de Jong will be sidelined for a long period with a knee injury. While they would need to sell players to create space for the 30-year-old, they hope the presence of many of his international team-mates could aid their pursuit.
Manchester Evening News reports that City would only sell for a fee which reflects Rodri's status as one of the world's best midfielders. He won the Ballon d'Or in 2024 and has just captained his country to their first World Cup in 16 years while being named Most Valuable Player.
City's stance
City have splashed out £116million to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest this summer and are also in talks to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille. But they are under no illusions over Rodri's importance to the side, given his pedigree and experience.
Yet with less than 12 months remaining on his contract, City have to be realistic. With Rodri having openly stated a desire to return to Spain, where he previously represented Villarreal and Atletico Madrid, they could be forced to cash in now, rather than risk losing him for nothing next summer.
Rodri's comments
“Would I like to play in Spain again, in La Liga, in Madrid? I would like to return, yes, obviously,” Rodri said while on international duty in April.
“Having played for Atletico before would not prevent me from playing for Real Madrid … there are other players who have done that before. Maybe not direct transfers, but eventually. You can’t turn down one of the world’s best clubs.”
He added: “I have one year left on my contract. There will come a point where we will have to sit down and talk.”
Maresca's response
Maresca has tried to calm speculation over his key player, who is yet to join up with his team-mates for pre-season, having undergone a minor surgery on his back and been given an extended break following his World Cup heroics. “It’s just about speculation at the moment,” Maresca said in Hong Kong earlier this week.
“Rodri had the surgery last Monday; everything was fine. Now, some days off and he’ll be back with us when he finishes his holiday.”
Asked if there had been any contract talks with director of football Hugo Viana, Maresca added: “As I said, the main focus for him when the season finished was the FIFA World Cup. Now, he is enjoying some rest after that and we didn’t have any conversations just focused on Rodri.”
