- Rodri’s future is up in the air after a controversial interview
- The midfielder has stated his ambitions to return to Spain
- Jay Bothroyd has encouraged Man City to sell him
Manchester City are looking to hold on to Rodri this summer, but Jay Bothroyd does not think he is worth the effort.
Rodri has been a real talent for Manchester City over the years, but the length on his contract is getting shorter and shorter every day.
The midfielder has been a nailed-on starter this season, but his injury struggles have once again proved to be an issue.
Added to this, it seems as though Rodri sees a future away from the Etihad Stadium, as displayed in his recent remarks.
Jay Bothroyd says Man City should sell Rodri
Ex-England striker Jay Bothroyd has had his say on Rodri’s situation and he believes Man City should entertain the idea of selling the Spaniard.
Bothroyd has not been convinced by Rodri since he returned from a lengthy ACL injury and the striker expects him to demand a new contract which could last up to four years.
🗣️ "I think Man City have to look to sell him"
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 27, 2026
Jay Bothroyd discusses Rodri and whether his comments about Real Madrid are unhelpful for Manchester City. pic.twitter.com/h7mQzImpkd
“There’s two things here,” Bothroyd told Sky Sports News. One, he has got his foot out the door, and people have contacted him or his representatives, or two, he’s saying this because he wants a new contract. I’m not entirely sure.
“But I know when Real Madrid come calling, most players are going to be looking to leave. From Man City’s point of view, I would be looking at this and saying, he’s 30 years old in June. He’s got one year left on his deal.
“I always say, when you’ve got a player that’s 30 years old, he’s going to want, like a three or four year deal. So he’s not going to want one year, right?
“I feel like if you’ve got a player in this position, even though Rodri is unbelievable player, he’s one of the best in the world in his position,” he continued.
“Still, I think since he’s had his injury, he hasn’t come back and hit the ground running, but I genuinely think that’s because it’s hard to get back to that level when you’ve been plagued with injuries so much after that point.
“I think, Man City have to look to sell him. I think they have to sell him. I think you’ll still get a lot of money for him. I think if you give him that long term deal, it doesn’t always work out.”
Bothroyd is concerned by Rodri’s financial demands
The length of contract Rodri may want is one potential issue for Man City, but another will be his wage expectations.
According to Bothroyd, it would be more effective to sign some emerging talents instead, while securing a transfer fee for the 29-year-old this summer.
He added: “We see that with Salah. We see that with Aubameyang. We’ve seen it with players, where you give him that deal, and it’s like a retirement deal, because you’re going to have to make him the highest paid player in the Premier League probably.
“He’s a ballon d’Or winning player. He’s not going to want squad player money. He wants to be the highest paid player.
“So I think Man City need to look at that and say, if we can get, like, I don’t know, 60, 70 million for him, take it and then bring some younger players in that are going to help take Man City forward in the future, because it sounds like he’s clearly got one foot out the door, or he wants a new contract. But I think he’s going back to Spain.”
