The One Roadblock Preventing Rodri’s ‘Dream’ Real Madrid Transfer

The midfielder has just one year left on his Manchester City contract.

Rodri firmed up his credentials as the world’s best midfielder at the 2026 World Cup. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

World Cup winner Rodri reportedly “dreams” of a move to Real Madrid, even as he weighs a contract renewal offer at Manchester City, but the Spanish giants are not convinced.

The 30-year-old was awarded the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player as Spain triumphed at the 2026 World Cup, beating Argentina in the final.

Rodri, who captained La Roja this summer, reasserted his claim as the game’s best midfielder, with his match-controlling displays from the center of the pitch. However, his club future remains in limbo, with just a year left to run on his City contract.

City are entering the biggest period of transition in their recent history, after Pep Guardiola left his post as manager after 10 years. The eight-time Premier League winners, however, are keen not to part ways with Rodri as well and have reportedly presented him with an offer to extend his stay.

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Rodri Weighs City Deal

Rodri’s Man City contract is winding down. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Fabrizio Romano reports that Rodri has a contract renewal offer “on the table” at Manchester City to extend his terms beyond 2027. The offer is said to be a significant one.

Should the midfielder choose to reject the club’s offer, he will be able to leave Manchester on a free transfer next summer.

Speaking ahead of the World Cup, Rodri left the door open when discussing his future, amid growing Real Madrid transfer links, telling reporters: “I understand the noise, but I’m not going to dedicate my time to that. We’ll see after the World Cup.”

The report claims that Rodri “dreams of Real Madrid,” potentially complicating his feelings towards extending his terms in England.

The 30-year-old, who is a Madrid native, told Spanish media back in 2024: “When Real Madrid call you, the best club in history, the most successful, everything that means ... Obviously, it’s an honor and you always have to pay attention, of course.”

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Why Is Florentino Perez Not Convinced by World’s Best Midfielder?

Florentino Pérez is not a Rodri fan, apparently. | Angel Perez Meca/Europa Press/Getty Images

As a former (and potentially future) Ballon d’Or winner, fresh off a World Cup win, Rodri seemingly ticks a lot of boxes as an ideal Real Madrid signing. There is also Los Blancos’ pressing need to find a successor to departed legends Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos in the team’s midfield.

New manager José Mourinho has overseen a defensive overhaul in his first weeks on the job, with Rodri’s Spain teammate Marc Cucurella among the players signed. Next up on the agenda will be sourcing a new deep-lying playmaker, as Madrid seek to get back to winning ways in 2026–27 after two disappointing seasons.

And yet, for all Rodri’s obvious positives, Romano reports that there is one stumbling block preventing a deal from happening: Florentino Pérez.

The newly re-elected club president is “not convinced” by the Manchester City star. Spanish outlet Cadena Ser backs up that there is “no chance” of Rodri moving to the Bernabéu currently. What the exact reasons are for Pérez’s lukewarm stance on Rodri remain unclear. However, there could be several factors at play.

Famously, Rodri was a cornerstone of the campaign of Perez’s recent presidential challenger, Enrique Riquelme, with the green energy entrepreneur ambitiously naming the Manchester City star as his key transfer target if elected. As a result, Pérez may now feel reluctant to adopt a policy so closely associated with his competitor.

Moreover, Rodri is ostensibly a defensive midfielder and not the big-name signing Pérez typically likes, with the president famed for collecting flashy attackers as part of his Galácticos philosophy. Michael Olise is one name that continues to be linked, while Pérez also entered a Machiavellian bid for Julián Alvarez earlier this summer.

Thinking in more practical terms, Pérez’s concerns may be related to the fact that Rodri is already over 30 and suffered an ACL tear as recently as 2024. Any investment Madrid make this summer would be money they would almost certainly not recoup down the line.

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