Real Madrid are aiming to sign Rodri in a blockbuster 2025 summer swoop and the Manchester City ace is ‘open’ to making the move, it has been claimed.
Rodri joined Man City from Atletico Madrid for €70million (£63m / US$79m) in July 2019. Since then, the Spain international has established himself as arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world and has become a key part of the success under Pep Guardiola.
Rodri has so far made 257 appearances for Man City, chipping in with 26 goals and 30 assists in that time. The all-action star has been a dominant force in midfield as City have won major trophies such as the Champions League, four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and two League Cups.
Rodri has proven his ability to score crucial goals too, having netted the winner for City during their long-awaited Champions League triumph in June 2023.
The 28-year-old’s contract runs until June 2027, but City chiefs want to extend it and hand him a pay rise to reward the player for his excellent form.
A lucrative new deal is already in the works, but it is unclear whether City will succeed in tying Rodri Down.
On Wednesday, it emerged that Real Madrid are ready to go all out for a sensational 2025 summer transfer window by signing all of Rodri, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alphonso Davies.
They are hoping to snare Alexander-Arnold and Davies for free when their contracts with Liverpool and Bayern Munich expire, which will save money for a huge Rodri bid.
Spanish outlet AS have now provided an update on the situation. In a major blow for Guardiola and City, they state that Rodri is ‘very tempted’ by the opportunity to join Madrid and return to his home city.
Rodri may have connections with Atleti, having had two spells with the Rojiblancos, but he is considering a massive transfer to Real Madrid in order to win yet more silverware.
Rodri has emerged as the ‘priority target’ for Madrid president Florentino Perez. The deal could be helped by the fact that Rodri’s agent, Pablo Barquero, has a ‘very good relationship’ with Madrid chiefs as he also represents Los Blancos icon and reserves team manager Raul.
The report states that Rodri currently has two options, either extend his contract with City or push for a Madrid switch. Either way, he is pretty much guaranteed to continue shining at the very highest level.
City will do all they can to keep their midfield talisman, but if Rodri signals a desire to leave then they will be forced to enter some form of negotiations.
Madrid have also been linked with a potentially record-breaking swoop for City striker Erling Haaland, though it is unclear whether that will happen now Kylian Mbappe is in the Spanish capital.
The report adds that Perez has already made great progress on another signing amid his pursuit of Rodri. Bayern left-back Davies has ‘agreed’ to join Madrid when his contract in Bavaria expires at the end of the season.
There has been speculation that Davies might perform a U-turn and restart contract talks with Bayern, but the German titans look set to lose out.
The 23-year-old Canada star is pushing to follow in Mbappe’s footsteps by running down his terms before joining Madrid on a free.
Davies’ arrival at Madrid would likely see current left-back Ferland Mendy be put up for sale.