Real Madrid on brink of agreeing personal terms with Rodri ahead of formal Man City negotiations
· Yahoo Sports
- Florentino Pérez is now showing himself much more open to the possibility of signing Rodri
- Real Madrid already have Rodri’s approval and the parties are said to be contractually close
- There are still no negotiations underway with Manchester City at this stage
Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has shifted his position on the potential signing of Manchester City’s Rodri, with the Spanish giants now understood to be considerably more open to a move for the Spain international than they were earlier this summer, as per a new report from Spain.
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The 30-year-old’s summer has undergone a remarkable transformation in its narrative arc, from a player whose links to the Santiago Bernabeu were being firmly denied at an institutional level by Real Madrid themselves, to one who now finds the same club’s president publicly softening on a move that had seemed definitively closed off as recently as a fortnight ago.
The catalyst for that shift could not be more obvious – Rodri returned from the FIFA World Cup not only as a world champion but as the tournament’s Golden Ball winner, having captained Spain to a 1-0 victory over Argentina in Sunday’s final with the kind of commanding, all-encompassing performance that served as a two-hour argument for why he remains one of the most irreplaceable players in the global game.
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His contract at the Etihad Stadium expires in the summer of 2027, leaving him with precisely one year remaining on his current deal – a contractual reality that transforms the dynamics of any negotiation and gives Real Madrid a structural incentive to act this summer rather than risk losing him on a free transfer in 12 months’ time.
That timeline was always likely to intensify Pérez’s thinking as the summer progressed, and the combination of World Cup triumph, Golden Ball recognition and a contract entering its final year appears to have done exactly that – producing the shift in stance that Moretto’s report now lays out in unambiguous terms.
Moretto: Rodri’s approval secured as Florentino grows “much more open” to signing
According to journalist Matteo Moretto, Real Madrid already have Rodri’s approval for a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, and from a contractual standpoint the parties are described as already very close to an agreement in principle on personal terms.
The most significant element of the report is the characterisation of Perez’s own position – described as now “much more open” to the possibility of signing the Manchester City midfielder, a direct contrast to the institutional resistance that was being communicated through various levels of the club in the weeks that preceded the World Cup final.
Moretto is explicit, however, that the shift in Real Madrid’s stance has not yet translated into formal contact with Manchester City, with the journalist confirming there are still no negotiations underway between the two clubs at this stage – meaning that while the personal and contractual groundwork appears to have advanced considerably, the sporting negotiation between City and the Spanish club has not yet begun.
The absence of formal talks with Manchester City at this stage leaves a significant gap between where the situation currently stands and where it would need to reach for a deal to be done, with director of football Hugo Viana holding the decisive card on whether and at what price City would even entertain offers for a player whose contract does not expire until 2027.
Real Madrid reconsider signing Manchester City’s Rodri after FIFA World Cup victory
What does Real Madrid’s altered stance mean for Man City?
The speed with which Real Madrid’s position has shifted – from publicly stated disinterest to a presidential openness communicated via one of European football’s most well-sourced journalists – reflects the degree to which Rodri’s World Cup performances have recalibrated the thinking of even those most resistant to the move at the top of Spanish football’s hierarchy.
For Viana and Enzo Maresca, the news presents a challenge of an entirely different order to the one they faced a fortnight ago, with the rebuild being undertaken at the Etihad Stadium now potentially having to absorb the departure of its most important player rather than simply the arrival of new ones.
The contractual proximity between Rodri and Real Madrid on personal terms, as reported by Moretto, also raises the question of what Manchester City’s negotiating position actually looks like – with a player entering the final year of his deal and known to hold a personal openness to the move holding considerably less leverage-generating value as a transfer asset than he would have commanded at an earlier stage of his contract.
Whether Manchester City decide to open negotiations with Real Madrid now that Pérez’s position has softened, seek a contract extension to reset the clock and remove the leverage Rodri’s expiring deal hands to potential suitors, or simply hold firm and allow the situation to resolve itself as the summer window progresses, is now the defining decision facing the club’s hierarchy in what has become the most consequential transfer situation of the entire summer.