Manchester City stance on Ruben Dias sale as Real Madrid register formal transfer enquiry | OneFootball

Manchester City have ‘firmly rejected’ enquiries from Real Madrid for Ruben Dias over a possible transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, as per a recent report.

Dias arrived at the Etihad Stadium from Benfica on a six-year contract in September 2020 for a fee of £65 million and has been a key player under Pep Guardiola. In August 2025, the 29-year-old signed a new four-year deal that will keep him at the English club until the summer of 2029.

Real Madrid have been quite active in the ongoing transfer window, especially with the return of Jose Mourinho as their new head coach, and have already signed Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva on a free transfer.

Despite securing the signing of French centre-back Ibrahima Konate last month, Los Blancos are still focused on further strengthening their backline, and Dias has been a top transfer target for the Spanish giants.

Report: Ruben Dias is a ‘central part’ of Enzo Maresca’s plans at Man City

According to a report by TEAMtalk, Manchester City have turned down Real Madrid’s interest in acquiring Dias’ services for the upcoming season, as the Portuguese star is considered ‘one of the foundations of the club’s new era under new manager Enzo Maresca‘.

Barcelona and Chelsea are also admirers of the centre-back and have reached out to City to make enquiries about his availability. However, both clubs were met with the same response as Los Blancos.

The aforementioned report further suggested that Arsenal were also among the interested clubs and were monitoring the situation. Despite the heavy transfer interest from several prominent names across leagues, Manchester City are not open to parting ways with Dias.

With three more years left in his current contract, the Benfica graduate appears to have earned Maresca’s confidence and is said to be a ‘central part’ of the Italian manager’s plans for the future.

What’s next for Ruben Dias and Man City?

Dias and Portugal are headed to the 2026 World Cup Round of 32, where they will face Spain at the Dallas Stadium on July 6.

Manchester City and Maresca, meanwhile, are in the middle of a busy transfer window. The Premier League giants have already confirmed their club record £116 million signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, with several top players being heavily linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium.

The 46-year-old manager will take charge of his first game at City on August 1 against Inter Milan at the start of a pre-season tour in South Korea. His first competitive match with the Blues is against Arsenal in the FA Community Shield at Wembley on August 16.

Maresca is set to make his Premier League debut as Manchester City head coach in their opening 2026-27 fixture against Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on August 23.