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Rodri is edging closer to a move to Real Madrid, with media reports from Spain talking of the midfielder's “great unfulfilled dream” to play at the Bernabeu.
Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth last night, which confirmed the Premier League title heading to Arsenal for the first time in 22 years, with manager Pep Guardiola missing out on the league title for two consecutive years for the first time in his managerial career.
Rodri set to leave Manchester City, with Real Madrid circling
While Guardiola last night refused to confirm reports that he will be leaving Manchester City this summer after winning 20 trophies in 10 years in English football, key figures have already confirmed their own exits.
Bernardo Silva and John Stones will both be calling time on their Etihad experiences, and with Rodri a long-rumoured target of Real Madrid, Spanish publication Marca have today led with the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner on their front cover, noting his “willingness to join [Real] facilitates” the ease of a move this summer.
FourFourTwo understands that there have been preliminary contract talks between City and Rodri during the second half of the season, but Los Blancos still lacking a controller at no.6 following Toni Kroos's retirement, the 29-year-old has re-emerged as a target.
Sport Witness has covered the comments in the Spanish media, with claims that Rodri is eager to complete a “dream” to return back to Madrid, where he enjoyed a season with Atletico prior to completing his move to City.
With Guardiola leaving the door has been opened for Rodri – ranked at no.6 in FourFourTwo's list of the best defensive midfielders in the world right now – to move to the Bernabeu, and with president Florentino Perez having “eased the tension with a gesture towards” the midfielder after he beat Real's own Vinicius Jr to the Ballon d'Or, it is believed that personal terms will not be a problem in securing a move.
Eduardo Camavinga, meanwhile, has recently missed out on France's World Cup 2026 squad and could well end his five-year stint in Spain to seek pastures new.
The major sticking point remains City's willingness to sell – especially with two major figures leaving this summer, on top of Guardiola's probable exit.
With his contract expiring next summer, FourFourTwo believes that the most likely scenario right now is that Rodri leaves on a free transfer for Real Madrid as a 30-year-old – and with Perez having engineered such deals for the likes of David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger and most notably Kylian Mbappe, it would not be a surprise to see Rodri making a similar transfer.
With the midfielder expected to be named in Spain's World Cup squad any day now, though, a transfer is unlikely to materialise until after World Cup 2026.
Rodri is worth €65 million, according to Transfermarkt. City take on Aston Villa in their final match of the season this weekend, as Premier League action concludes.
