Manchester City's new contract offer for Rodri lands on the table but Real Madrid are still waiting
Manchester City have handed Rodri a formal contract offer that would keep the Ballon d’Or winner at the Etihad until 2029, but the Spain midfielder is yet to put pen to paper and Real Madrid are still in the background hoping to change his mind. City are confident. Madrid are patient. Rodri himself has been unusually public about where his head is at.
“You cannot turn down the best clubs in the world,” the midfielder said in a recent interview when asked about Real Madrid, a line that City have heard before from departing players and did not especially want to hear from the one holding their midfield together. His current deal runs until June 2027, which gives everyone involved time, but the noise around him is not quiet.
City’s offer on the table
City’s proposal is reported to run to 2029 and carries a significant bump on Rodri’s existing 220,000-pounds-a-week wage, with figures north of 300,000-pounds-a-week mentioned in multiple reports. The club view him as their most important player of the past seven years, and the numbers reflect that.
Rodri’s camp have not rejected the offer and, according to briefings from City, a decision is not expected imminently. The 29-year-old is still working his way back to full rhythm after last season’s ACL injury and the people around him want to see the rest of the campaign play out before committing either way. That is a frustration City can live with if the answer is ultimately yes.
Real Madrid’s position is trickier than it looks
Madrid have been interested in Rodri for a long time. What they are not willing to do, according to reports out of Spain, is break their pay structure for him or throw a Mbappe-style signing fee at a player who is already 29. Internally, the club have decided they will not go to war over the transfer this summer, and will instead wait to see whether Rodri’s contract situation drifts toward a discounted move in 2027.
That position only works if Rodri does not sign an extension. If City’s offer is accepted, Madrid lose their cheap option. If it is rejected, they still have to find the money or the patience to keep waiting. The Spanish midfielder’s own comments have given the Bernabeu some encouragement without actually making their path any easier.
Why this one matters to Pep
Losing Rodri last season gave Pep Guardiola the clearest possible lesson in how much his team depends on the man in front of the back four. City’s worst spells in the past 18 months have come when he is not on the pitch, and there is no ready-made replacement in the squad. Nico Gonzalez has been brought in to share the load, Mateo Kovacic is still around, but neither is Rodri.
If Rodri signs an extension, City’s rebuild for the next cycle runs through a player they already know. If he does not, Guardiola is suddenly facing the biggest squad-planning question of his tenure with the end of his own contract also on the horizon. That is why the extension talks are being taken seriously at the top of the club, and why the silence from the player’s side is keeping everyone a little on edge.
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