Manchester City isn’t blinking on Rodri. Not yet, at least. The club’s preference all summer has been to keep the 30-year-old midfielder even if he doesn’t sign a new contract. But there’s a catch that could change everything, and it has nothing to do with Real Madrid’s offer.
According to a report from Ben Jacobs, City’s stance softens only if they land Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. The 20-year-old Morocco international has been identified as Rodri’s long-term replacement, and City has already agreed to five-year contract terms with him. The fee is around £85 million, per previous reports. Once that deal closes, the calculus shifts.
As it stands, City values Rodri at “significantly more” than the €50 million figures floating around. Spanish reports peg their asking price closer to €80 million, while Real Madrid has capped its offer at €60 million. That’s a gap neither side has bridged, even though Rodri has made it clear he wants to join Madrid. He’s reportedly reached a personal agreement with the Spanish club and has told people close to him he wants out.
But City’s hierarchy isn’t panicking. They’re not being dictated to by contract leverage, and they’re prepared to let Rodri play out the final year of his deal rather than accept a fee they consider insulting. That’s a strong negotiating position, and it’s one the surrounding coverage hasn’t always captured well.
The Bouaddi factor is the real wild card
Director of football Hugo Viana has been working this parallel track all summer. Bouaddi isn’t just a random signing. He’s the guy City sees as Rodri’s heir in the defensive midfield spot. The two stories — Rodri’s exit and Bouaddi’s arrival — are explicitly linked. Jacobs frames them as conditional on each other, not separate projects running in isolation.
If Bouaddi’s signing gets done, City suddenly has the midfield depth to let Rodri walk without crippling Enzo Maresca’s squad for the 2026-27 campaign. Without that cover, a sale is a non-starter. So Madrid’s confidence in landing Rodri — and reports say that confidence is high — might not matter much if City’s valuation and the Bouaddi timeline don’t align.
What happens first matters. Does Bouaddi arrive before a decision on Rodri? Do both deals move in parallel? That sequencing question is going to define the final weeks of the summer window at the Etihad. And right now, City holds the stronger hand.
Leave a Comment