Real Madrid Closing in on Rodri as City Softens Stance
Real Madrid are moving rapidly towards one of the landmark signings of the summer, with Spanish outlet AS reporting that both president Florentino Pérez and coach José Mourinho have given their approval to a deal for Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
The operation is now described as being in its final stretch. An announcement is expected soon, with AS even suggesting a “solution within the next 24 hours”. Club representatives from Madrid and Manchester are due to meet on Thursday, a summit that is widely viewed as the moment this long-running saga is finally wrapped up.
A superstar at a cut price
The numbers tell their own story. Early in the summer, several reports placed City’s demands at around €100 million for the 30-year-old, a figure befitting one of the most influential midfielders in world football. That price now looks to have collapsed.
According to AS, Real Madrid are working on a fee in the region of €40 million to €50 million. If that valuation holds, the European champions would be landing the best player at the 2026 World Cup for roughly half of what was initially floated.
For City, it marks a significant shift.
Marca reported as early as Tuesday that the Premier League champions, who had appeared determined to keep their midfield anchor, were beginning to soften. The English club, it said, hold Rodri “in the highest regard” but are prepared to accept his departure if that is what he decides.
City have spent months trying to secure an early extension to a contract that already runs until 2027. Those talks have gone nowhere. Faced with the risk of losing him for nothing further down the line, this window has increasingly looked like their last realistic opportunity to cash in.
Rodri’s Madrid dream
On the player’s side, the direction of travel has never been much of a secret.
Rodri has repeatedly made it clear that a move to Real Madrid appeals to him. Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has written that the midfielder would “love” the switch and “dream” of wearing the famous white shirt.
In March, Rodri himself underlined the pull of the Bernabéu, saying in an interview that you “cannot just easily turn Real down” if they come calling. For a player who has won everything at club level and conquered the world with Spain, the lure of becoming the heartbeat of Real’s next great midfield is obvious.
From Atleti’s academy to Real’s engine room?
There is another twist to this story: geography.
A move to the Spanish capital would not be a step into the unknown. Rodri came through Atlético Madrid’s youth system and represented Real’s city rivals in the 2018/19 season before heading to England. A return to Madrid, but this time in white, would add an extra layer of drama to an already charged transfer.
Real’s interest is anything but new. Rodri has been on the club’s internal wishlist for some time, particularly as they plan for life after Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić. After his outstanding 2023/24 campaign and subsequent Ballon d’Or triumph, rumours intensified that Los Blancos had identified him as the natural heir to their long‑standing midfield duo.
The irony was hard to miss. Rodri collected world football’s biggest individual prize in a year when Real Madrid, in protest, boycotted the Ballon d’Or ceremony. Even from a distance, they seemed to be plotting for the day he might anchor their midfield.
Now, with Pérez and Mourinho aligned, City’s resistance fading, and the price tumbling into a range Madrid can live with, the pieces are finally falling into place.
If the final details are agreed in Thursday’s meeting, the question will no longer be whether Rodri joins Real Madrid, but how quickly he can reshape the balance of power in Europe from the heart of their midfield.
