Rodri gives green light for Real Madrid transfer as Manchester City hold out for €100M fee | OneFootball

Real Madrid have accelerated their pursuit of Manchester City midfielder Rodri, with the Spain international understood to have opened up to the possibility of leaving the Etihad Stadium for the Spanish capital this summer, as per a new report from France.

The 30-year-old’s situation at Manchester City has become one of the most significant storylines of the summer window, with contract talks between the player and the club understood to be in an uncertain state even as Rodri returns from the FIFA World Cup as Golden Ball winner and a key figure in Spain‘s triumph over Argentina in Sunday’s final.

Director of football Hugo Viana has been navigating the midfielder’s contractual future alongside the broader demands of an already complex summer window, with the question of whether Rodri can be persuaded to commit his long-term future to the Etihad Stadium now taking on added urgency following confirmation this week that he must undergo back surgery with no established timeline for his return.

Real Madrid‘s interest in Rodri is far from new. The Spanish giants have been linked with a potential move for the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner for years, with long-standing admiration for a player who has redefined the role of the defensive midfielder at the very highest level. What has changed, according to the latest reporting from France, is the pace and seriousness with which that interest is now being pursued.

With Rodri entering the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium, both the power dynamic and the financial calculus of any potential transfer have shifted meaningfully in Real Madrid’s favour this summer.

Report: Mourinho eyes Rodri as Madrid prepare to negotiate below £84M asking price

As reported by L’Équipe and relayed by Get French Football News, Real Madrid have identified Rodri as their next priority target in the summer transfer window, with manager Jose Mourinho keen to add another midfielder to his squad as he continues to reshape the squad at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Manchester City’s asking price for Rodri has consistently sat around £84 million – a valuation that has deterred concrete approaches from Real Madrid in previous windows, with the scale of that fee difficult to justify for a player they could theoretically wait to sign on significantly reduced terms once his contract expires in the summer of 2027.

With one year now remaining on Rodri’s deal, L’Équipe report that Real Madrid believe the financial structure of any potential deal has changed in their favour, and that the possibility of negotiating a fee below City’s established asking price has become considerably more realistic as the summer progresses.

Crucially, the report also confirms that Rodri himself has opened up to the idea of leaving Manchester City for Real Madrid – having previously been understood to hold a desire to return to the Spanish capital and a willingness to join his former club’s city rivals should the right opportunity present itself.

What does Real Madrid’s acceleration mean for Man City’s summer?

As Manchester City players report for pre-season training under new manager Enzo Maresca, Rodri is now facing back surgery with no return timetable adds a further complicating dimension to what was already one of the most consequential decisions of Viana’s tenure at the Etihad Stadium.

The combination of a player with one year remaining on his contract, who has opened up to leaving, and who faces an unknown period on the sidelines following surgery, represents a markedly weaker negotiating position for Manchester City than they held at the start of the summer, and one that Real Madrid appear determined to exploit before the window closes.

Maresca had spoken of his high expectations for the season ahead in his early press appearances, but the prospect of beginning his tenure at the Etihad Stadium without Rodri – whether through injury, transfer or both – would represent the most severe possible test of the squad depth and midfield reinforcement that Viana has been assembling throughout the summer.

Whether City stand firm on their valuation and use the contract offer currently on the table as leverage to prevent a departure, or whether the weight of circumstances ultimately makes a sale this summer the more commercially logical outcome, will define one of the most significant decisions in the club’s recent transfer history.