Former Ballon d'Or winner and Manchester City midfielder Rodri was spotted boarding a Ryanair flight to Liverpool as he made his way back to Manchester amid mounting transfer speculation.
Rodri was part of Spain's World Cup winning squad over the summer and was crowned the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. However, his future at Manchester City has come into question this summer.
Transfer interest from Spain
The 30-year-old Spanish midfielder has been linked with a return to his homeland, with both Real Madrid and Barcelona jostling for his signature. City have held firm with their asking price of upwards of £60m with just 12 months left on his current deal.
Rodri, who returned to City on Thursday (August 13), was spotted boarding the Ryanair flight wearing a cap and shades, but his disguise didn't fool fans. One social media user joked: "Guys... why is Rodri getting on our Ryanair flight," sharing snaps of Rodri lining up to board the plane.
Fan reactions and manager comments
Another fan said: "Truly iconic stuff from Rodri flying Ryanair." While a second added: "Imagine boarding your Ryanair flight and seeing Rodri standing in the same queue as you!"
Speaking at his pre-Community Shield press conference on Friday, Enzo Maresca said: "As I have already said, the window is open. We can buy players, sell players. Anything can happen. I just saw Rodri now in the building, I just gave him a big hug and we will see what happens."
Potential replacements and injury update
City have been linked with replacements for Rodri, including Enzo Fernandez, with Chelsea quoting £120m for his services.
However, City will have to do without Rodri for the first period of the season, even if he stays, with the midfielder undergoing minor back surgery last month to deal with some "discomfort". No timeline has been set for his return to the first team.
