Manchester City ready to sell unsettled Rodri to Real Madrid as contract talks reach impasse | OneFootball

Manchester City are becoming increasingly likely to sanction a summer sale for Rodri to Real Madrid after talks over a contract have taken a halt, as per reports.

City are aware of Rodri’s desire to return to Spain as he approaches the end of his seventh season in the Premier League, having enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at the Etihad Stadium under Pep Guardiola since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019.

However, Manchester City are at a nascent stage of their transition under director of football Hugo Viana and are targeting moves for Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali and Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson to revamp their midfield this summer.

City skipper Bernardo Silva is set to leave when his contract expires in June and Rodri has recently opened the door to joining Real Madrid, who have reportedly made the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner their leading target ahead of the transfer window.

What has Rodri said on joining Real Madrid?

In an interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero this week, Rodri was asked about whether his allegiance to Atletico Madrid would deter him from thinking about joining Real Madrid in the future.

The 29-year-old refused to rule out a transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu and admitted that “you can’t ignore the best clubs” in world football – much to the chagrin of Manchester City fans, who would be gutted to see the Spaniard leave for their bitter European rivals.

However, Rodri expressed his frustration at his comments being taken out of context on social media and has since encouraged viewers to watch the entirety of his radio interview – instead of fixating on certain clipped segments that can take what he said out of context.

It is worth noting that the midfielder has another year on his Manchester City contract but remains open to joining Real Madrid this summer, with no resolution as yet over his future at the Etihad Stadium as we approach the end of the 2025-26 season.

Report: Man City ready to sell Rodri this summer

As reported by journalist Graeme Bailey, Manchester City are increasingly getting round to the idea of selling Rodri to Real Madrid in the upcoming transfer window, with talks over a new contract having stalled between the club and the midfielder’s camp.

City are planning to progress their squad rebuild with aspirations to sign Tonali and Anderson as there is every chance that the Blues witness a mass exodus in midfield – should Rodri and Silva leave ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Mateo Kovacic is also entering the final 12 months of his contract and could be moved on by Viana to avoid the risk of losing the Croatia international, who has spent a large portion of the last 10 months on the sidelines with various injuries.

Rodri is keen to return to Spain and as he assesses his options, Manchester City will not stand in his way to leave this summer should he bring in an attractive, market value offer from the Spanish capital – because it is highly unlikely that Viana will entertain the prospect of losing the club’s first-ever Ballon d’Or winner for nothing next summer.