Where direct communication between Man City and Real Madrid has left Rodri transfer | OneFootball

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez does not want to sign Rodri from Manchester City this summer, as per a new report from Spain.

Rodri has been heavily linked with a summer switch to the Santiago Bernabeu as he enters the final year of his current contract at the Etihad Stadium.

Ahead of the June 7 election, presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme has publicly declared that “a player like Rodri will play for Real Madrid“ should he replace incumbent Florentino Perez – after a second consecutive season wherein Los Blancos failed to win a major trophy.

It has also been reported previously that Perez held a personal desire to bring the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner to the Santiago Bernabeu as part of a major rebuild that has already seen Real Madrid sign Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate.

Manchester City want to keep hold of Rodri as they plan for life under incoming manager Enzo Maresca, who is believed to have agreed a three year deal in principle to replace Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

Direct club-to-club communication between Real Madrid and Manchester City has now taken place, with City informed of Madrid’s position, removing any ambiguity about where the Spanish club stand on a potential pursuit.

Moretto: Florentino doesn’t want to sign Rodri

Speaking on the matter, Marca journalist Matteo Moretto was unequivocal in the information he had received from his sources at the highest level.

“I’ve been told there was direct communication between the clubs, between Real Madrid and City – and City knows that Real Madrid isn’t going to sign Rodri,” Moretto said.

“I’ve been told that Florentino (Perez) doesn’t want to sign Rodri and for the moment, it seems this matter isn’t going anywhere.”

For City director of football Hugo Viana, that clarity is enormously valuable as he works to finalise Rodri’s contract renewal ahead of the summer window.

What does Moretto’s update mean for City’s contract talks?

With Real Madrid’s interest effectively ruled out by Perez himself, the primary obstacle to a Rodri renewal at the Etihad Stadium is now straightforwardly financial rather than competitive.

City are said to have placed a ‘weighty’ offer on the table and Moretto had previously reported the two parties are “not far away” from an agreement, with Rodri taking his time to consider the proposal while focused on the FIFA World Cup with Spain.

Rodri himself dismissed Riquelme’s claims of a pre-agreed move to Madrid, insisting all decisions on his future would wait until after the tournament.

Moretto’s latest update suggests that when those conversations do resume, the Madrid option will no longer be on the table – leaving City in a considerably stronger negotiating position than the frenzied speculation of the past week had implied.