Rodri Opens Door to Real Madrid Move

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has fuelled intense transfer speculation after telling Spanish radio that a future switch to Real Madrid is not out of the question, despite his Atlético Madrid past.

In a wide-ranging interview with Onda Cero, the 27-year-old Spain international said: “Having played for Atlético de Madrid doesn’t prevent me from playing for Real Madrid; there are other players who have gone that way. Not directly, but eventually. You can’t turn down the best clubs in the world.”

Rodri, who joined City from Atlético in 2019, went further by admitting a desire to return to La Liga and to the Spanish capital. “Would I like to play in Spain again, and in LaLiga in Madrid? I would like to return, yes. Obviously,” he stated.

The midfielder’s current contract expires in 2025, leaving the Premier League champions facing a pivotal summer. “I have one year left on my contract, there will come a point where we will have to sit down and talk,” Rodri said, hinting that discussions over an extension or a potential sale could accelerate.

When pressed on reports that Real Madrid’s hierarchy admire him, Rodri remained coy: “Have I ever heard that the president and the general manager of Real Madrid like Rodrigo Hernández? I don’t know… besides, they don’t talk to me. They talk to my agent.”

Rodri also dismissed any rivalry with Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. regarding the Ballon d’Or, insisting: “I think they wanted to pit Vinicius and me against each other… I have great respect for him, for everything he did that year… in the end, it’s other people, third parties, who decide who wins the Ballon d’Or.”

With City facing the prospect of entering the final 12 months of one of Europe’s most complete midfielders’ deals, the coming weeks could shape both Rodri’s future and the balance of power between England and Spain’s elite clubs.