Rodri was absent from Manchester City training on Thursday, effectively ruling him out of the Community Shield clash against Arsenal this weekend. Man City, as FA Cup holders, face the reigning Premier League champions in Wales on Sunday afternoon as last season's top two raise the curtain for the new campaign.
Rodri's absence explained
Rodri was always likely to miss the game for two reasons. One being he was afforded an extended break after leading Spain to World Cup glory in the summer, and the other being that he underwent minor surgery after the tournament which was expected to delay his start to the season.
Though, amid links to Barcelona - with the LaLiga champions seeing a second bid rejected for the midfielder - the 30-year-old's absence from training sparked speculation that a transfer could be close. However, Enzo Maresca revealed last week that Rodri was always due back on Friday.
“Yes, at the moment he will be in Manchester,” Maresca said after Man City beat Atletico Madrid in a pre-season friendly. “There is no update. On August 14 he will be back.”
Reijnders set for Saudi move
Rodri has previously spoken about his desire to return to La Liga, and with City undergoing a huge change following the departure of Pep Guardiola, he is keen to move on this summer. Tijjani Reijnders was also not present for Man City's open training session, in relation to talks with Al Qadsiah about a transfer.
It has since been widely reported that the Netherlands international has agreed to join the Saudi Pro League side, having only signed for City from AC Milan last summer. While Nottingham Forest had been targeting a high-profile swoop for Reijnders, Al Qadsiah have won the race in a deal worth around £52.1million, one that could help City finance a move for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
Standard Sport understands that the Blues have set a 5pm BST deadline on Friday (August 14) for any interested clubs to meet their £120million valuation of the 25-year-old.
