Rodri considering Real Madrid transfer from Manchester City, confirms Fabrizio Romano | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Rodri is considering a potential departure from the Etihad Stadium and Real Madrid is a possible destination, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.

Rodri is under contract at Manchester City till 2027 and club bosses are understood to be keen on tying down the club’s first-ever Ballon d’Or winner to a new, long-term contract.

The 29-year-old has put a difficult 18 months of injury troubles behind him as he looks to spearhead a new-look Manchester City dressing room to an unprecedented quadruple in the final months of the season.

City executives, led by director of football Hugo Viana, orchestrated a major exodus in the first-team last summer and are expected to progress their rebuild in the upcoming transfer window, having added Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi to Pep Guardiola’s squad in January.

Manchester City are understood to be prioritising the signing of a central midfielder ahead of the 2026-27 season, with Nottingham Forest and England star Elliot Anderson leading the target list in the position.

Nico Gonzalez has proven to be a capable deputy for Rodri in the number six position this term and the last few months have allowed Manchester City’s Ballon d’Or winner to get regular starts under his belt as the Blues look to hijack Arsenal’s title charge.

Rodri has under 18 months left on his current deal and a renewal for the Spain international is on the agenda for executives at the Etihad Stadium ahead of the summer, when Guardiola will also enter the final year of his own contract.

The Villarreal academy graduate scored arguably the greatest goal in the club’s history in City’s 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final – to seal a historic treble for Guardiola and co in Istanbul.

Real Madrid have held a long-standing interest in Rodri, who has been a colossal success since moving to England from Atletico Madrid in 2019, having led City to a plethora of silverware on the domestic, European and global fronts.

With Rodri’s long-term future at City yet to be sorted, transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Real Madrid is a genuine possibility for the midfielder ahead of the summer transfer window.

Speaking on his YouTube channel this week, Romano said: “Rodri will decide in the next months whether he wants to stay at Manchester City or leave.

“This is not a financial decision from what I understand, it’s about the family and personal things. He’s considering trying a new chapter. Real Madrid is a possibility.”

Manchester City will come up against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 over two legs in a few weeks – and it would be a devastating blow to the eight-time Premier League champions should Rodri be tempted by a sensational switch to the Santiago Bernabeu as he approaches 30.