Manchester City’s Rodri has played up the possibility of a summer transfer to Real Madrid, angering fans of his current club and former club Atletico Madrid.
Rodri is one of the key players in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team, but as he runs his contract down to its final year, his future in England is starting to look a bit less certain.
Speaking to the Spanish media this week, Rodri answered questions on a potential move back to Spain this summer, and he certainly made no attempt to play down the possibility.
“I have one year left on my contract, there will come a point when we’ll have to sit down and talk,” Rodri said. “No (the door isn’t closed to Real Madrid), no. There have been many players who took this road (from Atletico to Real), not directly but with time.”
“For me, you cannot refuse the best clubs in the world,” Rodri added. “I would like to return (to Spain), yes, obviously.
“I don’t know (if Real Madrid are interested). They wouldn’t talk to me, they’d talk to my agent.
“They have a fanbase that really goes all out for them, and for me, the Bernabeu is always incredible, a stadium that’s very imposing.”
Rodri probably didn’t intend to upset his own supporters, but the comments were certainly ill-advised. City only recently lost to Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate, so to see one of their players angling for a Madrid move is understandably frustrating.
Then there’s the Atletico Madrid perspective, with Rodri spending six years as a youth player and one season as a senior player with Atletico. To openly admit he’s open to joining their local rivals has definitely angered some fans of his old team.
Whether a move to Real Madrid actually comes about this summer remains to be seen. Jack Gaughan reports for the Daily Mail that Real are at least admirers, and that there have been suggestions they could test City’s resolve with a summer bid.
Rodri does still have a contract with City until 2027, so Real would need to negotiate a fee to secure a move. But the potential transfer is certainly a lot more likely than it was last week.