Pep Guardiola addresses Manchester City star’s future amid Real Madrid interest | OneFootball

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola touched on the future of Spain international and Ballon d’Or winning midfielder Rodri ahead of Tuesday’s tie against Villarreal.

The Blues are in a rich vein of form ahead of a tricky UEFA Champions League group-phase test in Spain, having risen to second place in the Premier League table at the weekend as a brace from the red-hot Erling Haaland bailed City out of jail once again.

City also saw Mateo Kovacic and Rayan Cherki make their respective returns to action on Saturday, with Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri in line to feature against Villarreal after forming part of the 22-man travelling squad to Spain – having recently returned to first-team training after recovering from thigh and knee injuries respectively.

A controversial injury-time Eric Dier penalty denied Manchester City all three points last time out in the UEFA Champions League, with the former Tottenham man netting late on to cancel a Haaland brace and holding the Blues to a frustrating draw against AS Monaco.

City have more than overturned their fortunes since the end of August, when the Blues were languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table after successive losses to Tottenham and Brighton in their opening trio of league games.

Guardiola and his backroom staff have been dealing with a series of fitness concerns early into the 2025-26 season – the most notable issue being that of Ballon d’Or winning star Rodri, who spent nine months on the sidelines last term after suffering an ACL rupture in September 2024.

The Spain international returned to action in May but took two steps back in his recovery at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States in June when he suffered a fitness setback, which delayed his start to the 2025-26 season and ruled him out of Manchester City’s opening day 4-0 win away at Wolves.

Rodri has since gotten a run of games under his belt and after starting four consecutive games for Manchester City either side of the September international break, the 29-year-old seemed to have left his fitness troubles behind.

However, a hamstring injury sustained in the opening 25 minutes of City’s 1-0 win over Brentford earlier this month have raised concerns over the Spaniard’s fitness amid strong interest in the Ballon d’Or winner from Real Madrid.

Manchester City are preparing a long-term contract extension for Rodri, whose current deal expires in 2027 and who tops Real Madrid’s transfer wishlist as the Spanish giants look to tempt the former Atletico Madrid man to the Santiago Bernabeu.

“I’m pretty sure he’ll be bored at home when he retires, with nothing to do. I’m pretty sure he’ll be involved in world football. But that’s a question for him (whether he wants to coach in future),” Guardiola said on Rodri’s future ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Villarreal on Tuesday evening.

Executives at the Etihad Stadium will be closely monitoring Rodri’s fitness and performances as the 2025-26 season progresses, with interest from Madrid only growing as uncertainty looms over the Spaniard’s long-term future at the Etihad Stadium.