- Rodri has been linked with Real Madrid
- Man City have offered him a new deal
- Pep Guardiola will not stop the Spaniard’s departure
Pep Guardiola has offered his verdict on whether Manchester City would make any effort to block Rodri joining Real Madrid this summer.
There has been a lot of development on Rodri’s future within the past few weeks and it is currently unclear if he will stay at Manchester City.
Rodri sparked rumours of a Man City exit after an interview during the international break, but he has since attempted to downplay the clips which emerged.
More recently, Man City have offered Rodri a new contract, which means it may not be long until the midfielder makes a decision on his future.
Pep Guardiola is not going to stop Rodri leaving Man City
No one at Man City will want to see Rodri go and this is especially true of Pep Guardiola, considering everything the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner has done for the club.
However, the Catalan boss has made it clear that if Rodri does want to depart, City will not stand in his way.
“There is not one player I would think will turn down the chance to play [for Real] Madrid and I understand completely; he [Rodri] was born in Spain,” Guardiola said during an embargoed press conference.
“Always my wish is Rodri could stay as much longer as possible in Man City because he’s an incredible player, top player. But life for everyone, is everyone. He’s proved for many, many years how attached and close [he is] in this club, the contribution in this club has been massive.
“Now, I have the feeling [in] the last one or two games, he’s really, really back for a long, long period and this is only I’m concerned.”
Speaking on if Man City would refuse to block a move for Rodri, Guardiola added: “Absolutely. Absolutely. The organisation of the club is above all of us, and if one player is not happy, they have to leave, and continue the same.
“Always I think he [Rodri] is happy and hopefully he can be happy, but if he’s not, just knock on the door of the sporting director [Hugo Viana], accept an offer according to his incredible, incredible quality, and after it all belongs to the club and himself.”
Rodri has the power to decide his Man City future
There will be no silly games by Man City with regards to Rodri. This means if the 29-year-old wants to leave, he will not have to go to extreme lengths to force an exit.
Ultimately, it is Rodri’s decision on whether or not to aim for Real Madrid. If he does, the Citizens will be eager to secure a sale this summer.
Failure to do so would allow the star to agree a pre-contract agreement in January, ahead of a free transfer next summer, which City would obviously look to avoid.
