Manchester City midfielder Rodri has reiterated that his focus remains on the World Cup and he has not given his future a thought ahead of the tournament. The 29-year-old is under contract at the Etihad Stadium for a further year, but speculation surrounding next season has been rife.
Rodri's future at Manchester City
During the season, Rodri told the Spanish media about his ambition to one day play for Real Madrid. He later insisted his comments were taken out of context. However, City are going through a period of major transition this summer with club legends Bernardo Silva and John Stones moving on to pastures new, as well as head coach Pep Guardiola.
Despite this, Rodri, who is currently in America ahead of Spain's World Cup match against Cape Verde on Monday, insists he is fully focused on his national team. "I don't know where this came from," Rodri replied when asked by Cadena Ser's El Laguero about former Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme declaring he would sign the midfielder if elected.
"I understand, it's part of the game. I haven't even thought about my future. My focus is on [the] World Cup. I'm under contract at Man City."
Fitness update
This season has been one of injury struggles for City's key man. Rodri picked up a groin injury towards the end of this season but managed to recover just in time for the FA Cup final victory over Chelsea. While there remain question marks about his fitness, Rodri insists he is in peak physical condition for the tournament.
"Yes, it was the main objective this season," Rodri said when asked about the World Cup. "I've had two very different years in my career, where I've had to adapt to the circumstances."
"You have to adapt to arrive in the best possible condition. It's been an important year, a time to rediscover the feeling of growth and with a clear objective in mind, which, obviously, you can't say at the beginning of the season, and that's the World Cup."
"I'm in the best physical shape I've ever been in, and above all, I'm in a condition I've never been in before, with few matches and a light workload. That's going to give me a lot of breathing room."
"I'm very happy with how I've managed the process."
Following Monday's clash with Cape Verde, Rodri's Spain will take on Saudi Arabia on June 21 before finishing their Group H campaign against Uruguay on June 27.
