Rodri addresses Real Madrid agreement claim by presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme | OneFootball

Rodri has responded to Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme’s bold claims about his future, insisting all decisions on where he plays his football will wait until after the FIFA World Cup.

Riquelme has publicly declared this week that “a player like Rodri will play for Real Madrid” should he win the June 7 presidential election, repeating the claim on multiple occasions and insisting Manchester City “should be respected” in any negotiations.

Rodri is into the final year of his current Manchester City contract, with Fabrizio Romano having reported that the midfielder is seeking a better financial offer than what the club has currently tabled – adding further complexity to a situation that director of football Hugo Viana will need to resolve before it reaches the point of no return.

Rodri: Everything related to my future will have to wait

Speaking ahead of Spain‘s opening fixtures at the marquee tournament, Rodri addressed the speculation surrounding his Manchester City future, declining to be drawn on the transfer noise while making his immediate priorities clear.

“I’m here to speak about the World Cup. Everything related to my future, will have to wait until after the World Cup,” Rodri said, as relayed by Fabrizio Romano.

The 29-year-old has previously said that he “understood” the situation surrounding his contract while refusing to elaborate further – and suggested that his City future might look different were it not for the World Cup – a comment that will not have gone unnoticed at the Etihad Stadium.

Could Rodri join Real Madrid this summer?

Real Madrid’s interest in Rodri is long-standing and genuine, predating the current election campaign by several years.

Whether Riquelme or Florentino Perez wins on June 7, the appetite in the Spanish capital for the world’s best holding midfielder is not going away.

Rodri has given nothing away publicly but the clock on his City contract is ticking, and a resolution now appears unlikely before the World Cup concludes in mid-July.