Just knock on the door – Guardiola says City will not block Rodri exit

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has reiterated that the club will never force a player to stay against his wishes and has extended that stance to Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who is entering the final year of his Etihad contract and has publicly flirted with a move to Real Madrid.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool, Guardiola confirmed that City have tabled a formal offer to the 29-year-old midfielder but stressed that personal happiness will ultimately dictate the next step.

“Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely,” Guardiola replied when asked whether his long-held policy of not standing in a player’s way applies to Rodri. “The organisation of the club is above all of us and if one player is not happy, they have to leave, continue the same. “Always I think he’s happy and hopefully he can be happy, but if he’s not happy just knock on the door of the sporting director, accept an offer, according to his incredible, incredible quality, and after that it all belongs to the club and himself.”

Rodri, signed from Atlético Madrid in 2019, has become the linchpin of City’s midfield, collecting four successive Premier League crowns and the club’s maiden Champions League trophy before claiming the 2024 Ballon d’Or. In a recent radio interview the Madrid-born Spain international admitted that a return to the Spanish capital appeals to him, prompting Real Madrid to monitor his contractual situation closely.

Director of football Hugo Viana would handle any formal approach, and while City remain optimistic that their new contract proposal will persuade Rodri to extend his stay, Guardiola’s message was unambiguous: should the midfielder wish to go, the club will facilitate a transfer at the right price.