Has a major spanner appeared in the summer transfer plans for Manchester City? | OneFootball

As the second half of the 25/26 season has progressed, Rodri has gradually returned to his best for Manchester City. Rodri battled his way back after suffering a serious ACL injury last season. His performance against Arsenal in City’s Carabao Cup final triumph at Wembley showed that City’s midfield general isn’t far off from being the player he was before he was struck down by injury. As Rodri has returned to his best, the threat of Real Madrid moving for one of Manchester City’s key players has lingered in the background. Now Rodri has spoken about the possibility of returning to Spain to play, and a host of other topics, and a major spanner could be about to be thrown into Manchester City’s summer transfer plans.

Rodri has shared his desire to play in La Liga and also touched on his City future.

In an interview published by Spanish publication Onda Cero, Rodri spoke on a wide range of topics. The Manchester City midfielder spoke about the fact that after this season he only has one more year remaining on his contract with Manchester City. He also revealed that the fact that he played for Atletico Madrid doesn’t rule him out of one day playing for Real Madrid. He said:”I have one year left on my Manchester City contract. At some point we’ll have to sit down and talk… Even though I’ve played for Atleti, [Real] Madrid isn’t a closed door for me – you can’t turn your back on the best clubs.”

Speaking on his wish to one day return to La Liga, Rodri explained: “I would like to return to the Spanish league, I still follow it. The Premier [League] is my weakness but it is also a very demanding league. For now, I am very happy there.”

Manchester City may be forced to undergo a major midfield shake up this summer.

There is a lot to unpack in Rodri’s comments. First of all, he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of signing a contract extension with Manchester City. That cannot be overlooked. There is no doubt that City will be determined to extend the contract of one of their most important players. That is the first item to tick off the list.

The biggest concern from a City point of view is that Rodri does at least seem intrigued by the idea of playing for Real Madrid. No one can question what Rodri has given Manchester City. He has become one of, if not, the best midfielder in the world at the club. City have had an unprecedented era of success with Pep Guardiola at the helm and Rodri at the heart of Manchester City’s midfield. In an ideal world, Rodri would rebuff any talk of him moving to Real Madrid. But that hasn’t occurred, and Rodri has explained that he does one day want to return to play in Spain.

From a Manchester City point of view, a major spanner may be about to be thrown into their summer transfer window plans. The expectation is that Bernardo Silva will leave the club at the end of this season. If that occurs, and Rodri does want a move to Real Madrid, City will be in the market for two midfielders. One player will not fill that hole in City’s midfield. Perhaps City could move for Elliot Anderson as expected and perhaps Newcastle United’s combative and technically brilliant midfielder Sandro Tonali if Bernardo leaves and Rodri desires a move back to Spain.

Final thoughts.

Rodri’s most recent comments do cast doubt over his future at Manchester City. They also haven’t entirely removed the possibility of him staying at the club. However, the fact that Rodri has expressed a desire to one day return to Spain does mean that the chance that he could leave City in the near future is very real. If that were to occur, it would be a huge spanner thrown into Manchester City’s summer transfer window plans. Rodri’s future is now a major topic to monitor going forward. Ideally, Manchester City wouldn’t want to be in the market this summer to replace one of their most important players.