Rodri Linked With Real Madrid Move Amidst Manchester City Transition

Manchester. News that Rodri, the team's main midfielder, may go to Real Madrid has added to the crisis for Manchester City, which is entering a new era after Pep Guardiola's departure.

Real Madrid appears confident of bringing the Spanish World Cup-winning captain Rodri to the Santiago Bernabeu before the transfer deadline on September 1.

With Guardiola's decision to leave Manchester City, an era has ended for the team. The contract of the 30-year-old Spanish midfielder Rodri is in its final year with City.

He has already expressed his desire to return to his hometown. Speaking to reporters during the international break last March, he said, 'Do I want to play in Spain again, in La Liga, and in Madrid? I want to return, of course.'

Speaking about moving to Real Madrid, he said, 'You can't turn down one of the best clubs in the world.'

As City is about to start a new journey under new coach Enzo Maresca, Rodri's potential departure pushes the team's future further into uncertainty.

Rodri, who suffered an ACL injury in September 2024, won the Ballon d'Or in October of the same year. Due to subsequent minor injuries, he struggled to regain his form. Rodri's absence was considered the main reason why City could not achieve expected results in Guardiola's final days.

However, Rodri performed excellently to make Spain champions in this World Cup. In Spain manager Luis de la Fuente's team, he played a key role in making the team champions by controlling the game's pace from midfield. This reconfirmed how indispensable he is to City.

New coach Enzo Maresca, who replaced Guardiola, said it is natural for other clubs to be interested in his key players. In his first press conference at the City campus, he said, 'First of all, there are always such speculations around big players, so I am not worried.'

He added, 'It's normal because they won the World Cup and he is one of the best players in the world. I think every manager wants Rodri in their team.'

Maresca stated that Rodri will undergo back surgery on Monday and will need rest afterward, expressing confidence that he will return to the team after recovery.

If Rodri leaves the club, there will be a big void in City's midfield. Apart from 116 million pounds signing Elliot Anderson, there are no other strong players in the team who can replace Rodri. Nico Gonzalez and Tijani Reijnders, signed last year, have not made the expected impact. Similarly, reports suggest that Mateo Kovacic, Rico Lewis, and Kalvin Phillips are not desired by the team.

In such a situation, 23-year-old Elliot Anderson will get the opportunity to handle the role of the team's main midfielder. Anderson, who performed excellently at Nottingham Forest and earned a place in the England team, made the most tackles (18) alongside Rodri in the 2026 World Cup. City may also include 18-year-old emerging Moroccan player Ayub Bouaddi in the team.

This transitional period looks very challenging for Manchester City. Earlier, team captain Bernardo Silva and John Stones have already joined Real Madrid and Inter Milan respectively after their contracts ended.

New team manager Maresca, however, has kept himself composed. Stating that it is an honor for him to succeed Guardiola, he said, 'I have said many times, I consider Pep the best coach in the world for the last 20-25 years, this is a challenge for me.'

He recalled the post-departure situations of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsène Wenger at Arsenal, stating that it will take 'time' to bring the team back into rhythm and expressed confidence that the club will give him sufficient time.