Man City awaiting Rodri contract clarity to progress Enzo Maresca’s midfield rebuild | OneFootball

Manchester City are waiting to hear from Rodri on if he wants to commit himself to the club under incoming manager Enzo Maresca, as per reports.

City have already tabled a new contract offer for the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, continuing negotiations that have rumbled on for months as the Spaniard weighs up his next move with his existing deal entering its final 12 months.

Real Madrid have long been considered Rodri‘s most likely destination should he decide against extending his stay, with Jose Mourinho reported to have personally targeted the midfielder as part of his rebuild at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Mourinho has already signed departed Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva on a free transfer and has convinced Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to pursue Ruben Dias from the same Etihad Stadium spine.

Rodri’s situation also lands at a pivotal moment for City’s engine room more broadly, with the club seriously considering a double swoop for Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali and Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson – additions that would carry even greater significance should Rodri ultimately decide to leave.

With City director of football Hugo Viana balancing two major midfield pursuits alongside the uncertainty over Rodri, the latest update on the Spaniard’s situation offers a clearer picture of how City’s hierarchy are reading the financial calculus involved.

Report: Real Madrid show ‘no concrete interest’ despite Rodri links

According to Sam Lee of The Athletic, City are ‘desperate’ to keep Rodri and have already placed a new contract on the table, but there is currently no indication the 29-year-old will commit his long-term future to the club.

Lee’s report adds that, from a purely financial standpoint, a transfer this summer could represent the more sensible outcome for City rather than risk losing the Spain international for a reduced fee – or for nothing at all – closer to the end of his contract.

Real Madrid, despite being widely viewed as Rodri’s most likely destination, are said to have no concrete interest in actually progressing a deal at this stage, leaving his situation in a holding pattern as City wait for clarity from the player himself.

What does Rodri’s uncertainty mean for City’s midfield rebuild?

Rodri’s stance carries direct consequences for how aggressively City pursue Tonali and Anderson, with a deep-lying midfielder of his calibre considered close to irreplaceable even amid growing investment elsewhere in the engine room.

The 29-year-old has also endured an injury-affected 18 months since returning from an ACL lay-off, meaning City’s interest in adding both Tonali and Anderson reflects squad-management logic as much as ambition – insurance that becomes essential if Rodri’s future is no longer guaranteed.

Maresca, working alongside Viana to navigate his first transfer window in charge at the Etihad Stadium, will want Rodri’s situation resolved sooner rather than later, with the make-up of his midfield options shaping decisions on Tonali in particular over the coming weeks.

Whether Rodri ultimately commits to a new deal, forces through a move to Real Madrid, or ends up at another European club altogether remains to be seen, but City’s business elsewhere in midfield suggests the Etihad Stadium hierarchy are no longer prepared to let his decision dictate the pace of their rebuild.