Real Madrid ‘plan’ to exploit Man City ‘dilemma’ with Rodri signing after top target ‘escapes’
According to reports from Spain, Real Madrid are eyeing a move for Ballon d’Or winner Rodri in 2026, one year before his Manchester City contract expires.
Rodri missed most of last season after tearing his ACL in a Premier League match against Arsenal in September.
Widely regarded as the best defensive midfielder in the world, Spanish media have been keen to link him with a switch to Los Blancos.
According to Spanish outlet AS, Real Madrid plan to take advantage of Rodri’s contract situation by signing him at a reduced fee in 2026.
With his Man City deal expiring in 2027, Madrid believe they can convince the Premier League champions to sell their star midfielder to avoid losing him on a free transfer.
Xabi Alonso’s side have been looking for a new deep-lying midfielder and had targeted Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, but he has ‘escaped’ and will join Arsenal for £51million, according to multiple reports.
Rodri is now considered a strong ‘Plan B’, with his contract expiry viewed as a ‘sweet situation’ at the Bernabeu.
The report adds:
The Ballon d’Or winner is contracted with Manchester City until 2027. This means that next summer, 2026, he will have just one year left on his deal — a key moment when it is often possible to buy a player at a reduced price, especially if City face the dilemma of selling him or losing him for free a year later.
In any case, Rodri’s transfer remains a hypothesis. Zubimendi’s move has been a setback for Madrid’s plans, but it was always difficult to intervene in an operation that was already well advanced and sealed by Arsenal.
In recent days, aware there was no formal signing yet, Madrid have reached out to the player, but there is little they can do when Arsenal are willing to pay the £60million clause in one go — also offering an astronomical salary that falls outside Madrid’s usual wage structure for a new signing of this profile.
Meanwhile, both Madrid and City are preparing for the Club World Cup in the United States and have named their squads this week.
Jack Grealish was notably omitted from Pep Guardiola’s squad. The former Aston Villa captain is expected to leave this summer, but City are struggling to attract sufficient interest.
A loan move is increasingly likely amid reported interest from Everton and German giants Bayer Leverkusen.
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