It has already been a landmark week at the Etihad, with Enzo Maresca taking his first press conference as City manager and pre-season preparations stepping up ahead of the new campaign.
Much of that presser was dominated by one man’s fitness. Maresca confirmed that Rodri will undergo back surgery on Monday, with a spell of rest to follow before he rejoins the squad.
Hanging over all of it, though, is the midfielder’s future. Rodri is into the final year of his contract, and the links with Real Madrid have refused to go away all summer — even after the Spanish club appeared to deny making any approach earlier this week.
Admittedly, City fans could have been forgiven for hoping the story was dying down. Unfortunately, the latest report from a very reliable source suggests the opposite.
The Athletic report Real Madrid are working on Rodri deal
According to David Ornstein, reporting for The Athletic alongside Mario Cortegana, Real Madrid are still actively working on a deal to sign Rodri from Manchester City this summer.
The report is careful on the detail. Club-to-club talks have not yet taken place, and no fee is mentioned anywhere in it.
However, Madrid’s board are said to be “increasingly confident” that an agreement can be reached before the window closes. Rodri’s renewal talks with City are reportedly not progressing, which is exactly the situation Madrid tend to exploit.
The midfielder, born in Madrid, is understood to be receptive to the move for career and family reasons. Even the back surgery that will sideline him for months has reportedly not put the Spanish giants off.
Ornstein’s name on the story is what should concern City most. The Athletic’s chief football reporter has an exceptional record, and this is a firmer line than anything that has emerged from Spain so far this window.
What this means for City
To be fair, nothing in the report suggests City are ready to sell. The club have held a firm stance on the renewal question all summer, and there has been no indication from the Etihad that their position has softened.
The contract clock is the problem. With Rodri now inside the final twelve months of his deal, City face the familiar dilemma of cashing in on their own terms or risking losing one of the world’s best midfielders for far less leverage next year.
Interestingly, this report also directly contradicts the message of just a few days ago, when Madrid were distancing themselves from the move and Florentino Perez was said to be cold on it. The speed of that reversal tells its own story about how live this pursuit now is.
It is worth remembering just how central Rodri has been to everything good about City’s recent era. Across seven seasons he has grown into the side’s heartbeat, and his absences have repeatedly coincided with the team’s most difficult spells.
How do you replace a Ballon d’Or winner
Replacing that profile in a single window would be close to impossible, which is precisely why the club have been so keen to resolve the contract situation on their own terms.
There is also the football side of it. Maresca is beginning a new era in the City dugout, and building his first season around the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner — or around his absence — are two very different projects.
Of course, until Madrid actually pick up the phone to City, this remains pressure through the press rather than a formal pursuit. But few reporters move markets like Ornstein, and City supporters will feel this saga has just entered a more serious phase.
For now, the immediate focus is closer to home, with Rodri’s surgery scheduled for Monday and Maresca’s men continuing their pre-season programme. What happens after that recovery may now define City’s summer.
