Real Madrid have quietly intensified their long-standing pursuit of Rodri, with the club viewing the Manchester City and Spain midfielder as the ideal heir to Toni Kroos's old role in the centre of the pitch, according to a Sport5 report that cites France's L'Équipe and Sky Sports.
Sport5's report describes a low-key meeting between Rodri's representatives and Real Madrid officials — not a formal negotiation, but framed as evidence that the interest has moved beyond casual transfer speculation into something more deliberate.
The timing is not incidental. Rodri's contract at the Etihad Stadium runs only until the summer of 2027, meaning he is about to enter the final season of his current deal — a situation City would rather not let drift, given the risk of losing him for a cut-price fee, or for nothing at all, further down the line.
According to L'Équipe, as relayed by Sport5, City's valuation sits at a minimum of €100 million. Real Madrid, though, believe the shrinking contract works in their favour and are reportedly hopeful of negotiating him down closer to €60 million rather than meeting City's full asking price.
Madrid's approach is said to include an offer of a contract running through 2030 — a deal that would take Rodri, now 30, into his mid-thirties in Real Madrid colours if it were to go through.
There is a personal dimension to the interest, too. Rodri came through Atlético Madrid's academy as a boy, before a spell at Villarreal took him away and a return to Atlético brought him back ahead of his 2019 move to Manchester City. Sport5's report describes him as open, in principle, to a move back to his native Madrid before his career winds down.
Toni Kroos's own voice has added weight to the speculation. Since retiring, the World Cup-winning midfielder has publicly said Real Madrid need a player of Rodri's profile to fill the void he left in central midfield, calling it a role that is close to essential to how the team is supposed to function.
None of this amounts to a deal being close. Sport5 frames the report as the opening stage of what could become a long-running saga rather than an imminent transfer, and Manchester City have given no public indication that their Ballon d'Or winner is for sale at any price this summer.
For now, Rodri remains under contract at City, and separate reporting suggests the club has already put a renewal offer to him — one he has yet to sign, amid the reported interest from Madrid and his own apparent openness to a return to Spain.
