Дэлхийн аваргын дараах өндөр гүйцэтгэл нь Реал Мадридын удирдлагын байр суурийг өөрчилж, испани хагас хамгаалагчийг багтаа авахаар шийджээ.
Манчестер Ситигийн хагас хамгаалагч Родриг Реал Мадрид энэ зуны солилцооны цонхоор элсүүлэхээр идэвхтэй ажиллаж байна. Хэдийгээр талууд албан ёсны хэлэлцээ эхлүүлээгүй байгаа ч Реал Мадрид уг наймааг амжилттай болно гэдэгт итгэлтэй байна. Өдгөө 30 настай тоглогч Манчестер Сититэй байгуулсан гэрээнийхээ сүүлийн жилдээ яваа бөгөөд гэрээгээ сунгах сонирхол бага байгаа нь энэхүү шилжилтийг эрчимжүүлж байна.
Манчестер Ситигийн шинэ дасгалжуулагч Энцо Мареска Родриг багтаа үлдээхийг хүсэж байгаа ч тоглогч нутагтаа буцаж, Реал Мадридын төлөө тоглох хүсэлтэй байгаагаа илэрхийлсэн. Родри ирэх даваа гарагт нурууны гэмтэлтэй холбоотой хагалгаанд орохоор төлөвлөж байгаа ч Реал Мадрид түүнийг дэлхийн хэмжээний лидер хэмээн үзэж, багийн дотоод уур амьсгал болон тактикийн тэнцвэрт чухал хувь нэмэр оруулна гэж тооцоолж байна.
Энэхүү шилжилт нь Манчестер Ситигийн хувьд томоохон алдагдал болох бөгөөд тэд аль хэдийн Эллиот Андерсоныг эгнээндээ нэгтгэж, хагас хамгаалалтын шугамаа сэлбэх ажлыг эхлүүлжээ. Хөгжөөн дэмжигчдийн дунд Родригийн шилжилтийн талаарх байр суурь хоёр хуваагдаж байгаа ч түүнийг Реал Мадридад нэгдвэл энэ зуны хамгийн дуулиантай наймаа болох нь тодорхой байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Real Madrid are working on a deal to sign Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
At this stage club-to-club talks have yet to take place, but Madrid are confident an agreement can be reached and are operating on the basis that Rodri will be joining the club this summer.
Rodri, 30, has entered the final year of his City contract, which runs until 2027, but the club remain in dialogue with the midfielder over his future and are hopeful that he will be part of Enzo Maresca’s squad for the 2026-27 season.
Madrid sources had kept insisting this summer that Rodri was not part of their plans, but the club’s stance has changed following his return from the World Cup, with the performance level he demonstrated and the role he played in Spain’s triumph a factor in their decision to pursue him.
The Spain international would become the latest departure from City this summer, after Pep Guardiola brought to a close a decade in Manchester and was replaced by Maresca. The experienced John Stones and Bernardo Silva have also left following the expiration of their contracts, with the latter moving to Madrid.
The Athleticreported on July 21 that talks regarding Rodri’s City future were expected to take place after the World Cup — where he won the Golden Ball as Spain beat Argentina in the final — but he had so far shown little desire to extend his terms.
The midfielder started and captained his side across all eight matches at the World Cup as Luis de la Fuente’s side won back-to-back major tournaments, following the European Championship in 2024.
He is now, however, set to undergo surgery on a back issue, with his return date unconfirmed.
Rodri has spoken of his wish to return to his home country during his playing career and the appeal of representing Real Madrid.
“Would I like to play in Spain again, in La Liga, in Madrid? I would like to return, yes, obviously,” Rodri told reporters in Spain during March’s international break.
Is Rodri back to his Ballon d’Or best?
Reuben Pinder
“Having played for Atletico before would not prevent me from playing for Real Madrid … there are other players who have done that before. Maybe not direct transfers, but eventually.
“You can’t turn down one of the world’s best clubs.”
Rodri returned to action for City in May 2025 after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury ruled him out for the majority of the 2024-25 campaign. He featured 33 times in all competitions during the 2025-26 season either side of two spells out with hamstring and groin issues.
City have strengthened their midfield this summer with the £116million ($155m) signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. The Athleticreported on July 14 they were also pushing to sign Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi, 18, from Lille, who impressed at the World Cup.
Asked about Rodri during his first City press conference on Friday, Maresca said: “Around big players there is always speculation. I’m not worried about that. I think it’s normal. Also because they won the the World Cup, he was the best player or one of the best players. Every manager wants to have Rodri because he’s a top player.
“But now surgery on I think Monday. He needs holiday. He needs to rest. He needs to recover and then he will be back here with us.”
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2019 and has won four Premier League titles, the FA Cup twice, the League Cup on three occasions and the Champions League in 2023 — scoring the winning goal in the final — during his seven years at the club.
He has made 298 appearances for City, providing 28 goals and 32 assists.
A boost for Madrid – but not without risk
Analysis from Real Madrid correspondent Mario Cortegana
The arrival of Rodrigo Hernandez would probably be the most exciting news for Real Madrid fans this summer.
Despite President Florentino Perez and General Manager Josa Angel Sanchez’s refusals to sign him in recent months, this change of heart among Real Madrid’s key figures was something the supporters had been calling for.
Now, both the club and its fanbase see it as the ideal move to sign a world-class player in his position, who has just won the World Cup as the Spanish national team’s star player and who, moreover, has long wanted to take this step to cap off his successful career.
The signing would also involve a degree of risk. The club is not usually keen to invest large sums of money in players approaching the age of 30, and in this case Rodri had a serious knee injury in 2024 which, as is often the case in such situations, was followed by muscle injuries.
Rodri captained Spain to World Cup success this summer (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
His outstanding performance at the World Cup has dispelled many of the doubts about his condition, shifting the focus to what he could bring to the team.
Rodri, while not an explicit request from Mourinho, would strengthen an area where the Portuguese head coach had been calling for another signing. It’s easy to imagine that the balance and touch that Rodri would bring would give the team a boost.
And then there is the factor of the internal culture. In a dressing room where the atmosphere has been a cause for concern over the last two seasons, Rodri would be a key player thanks to his experience, leadership and work ethic.
A big problem for City
Analysis by Manchester City correspondent Sam Lee
This is the news that City fans were dreading and it will be a bitter pill to swallow.
The writing had been on the wall because City have been trying to get Rodri to sign a new contract for well over a year, and they always wanted to avoid getting so close to the end of his current deal, which runs out next summer. The fact that he had not signed that extension shows that a move has been on his mind for some time, and City were well aware that it was a possibility this summer, although they hoped to avoid it.
Those close to Rodri know that it has long been his aim to play for Real Madrid. Despite playing for Atletico Madrid before moving to City, he hoped to return to the Spanish capital.
The surprise element to this move is that Madrid themselves had been unwilling to sign him until very recently. Various sources at the club indicated that the key decision makers, including president Florentino Perez and manager Jose Mourinho, were not considering his signing, but Rodri’s role in Spain’s World Cup victory has clearly moved the needle.
For City, it leaves them with a big problem in the middle of the pitch — in fact, all over the pitch. They have simply been a far better team with Rodri in the line-up, and that has even been the case since he returned from his knee injury, still short of his top level. They had managed to find some very good form at the back end of 2025 despite his absence, though, with Nico Gonzalez starting to shine, and they will have to find those kind of solutions going forwards (even if Nico himself faces an uncertain future, after eventually becoming overlooked by Pep Guardiola).
For fans, there will be a big split, as has been evident over the past few days amid rumours of Madrid’s shifting stance. Some wish him well and, although disappointed, say that he is well within his rights to move on. Others, however, will be angered by the move — mostly because of how Madrid reacted to his 2024 Ballon d’Or victory ahead of Vinicius Junior.
Those arguments will continue for a while but City have to continue trying to find solutions without Rodri, although work has already started.
