Manchester City midfielder Rodri has not ruled out a potential move to Real Madrid, despite his history with Atlético Madrid.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner has recently returned to the pitch for City following a lengthy recovery from a cruciate ligament injury sustained in 2024.
Having come through Atlético’s youth ranks and later becoming a key player for the first team in the 2018-19 season before joining City, Rodri has just over a year remaining on his contract with the Premier League club, which expires in June 2027.
Linked with a transfer to Real Madrid this summer, Rodri was cautious during a radio interview on Thursday when asked whether his past with Atlético would complicate such a move.
“No, no,” Rodri told Onda Cero. “Many players have made that switch, especially over time. For me, you cannot exclude the best clubs in the world.”
Rodri trained with Atlético’s youth system for six years before moving to Villarreal, where he made his first-team debut before returning to Atlético in 2018.
His standout performances at the Metropolitano prompted Pep Guardiola’s City to activate his release clause a year later.
In the Premier League, Rodri has emerged as one of the world’s top midfielders, culminating in his Ballon d’Or victory after guiding Spain to win Euro 2024, just a year after City claimed the Treble.
– Real Madrid faces a significant gap in their midfield without Rodri
“I have a year left on my contract [with City], and at some point, we will need to sit down and discuss it,” Rodri told Onda Cero. “I would like to return [to LaLiga], of course.”
Last summer, Madrid chose not to bring in a central midfielder, instead opting to add defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, and Álvaro Carreras, along with winger Franco Mastantuono. However, ESPN has reported that they are now considering a midfield acquisition ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Recently, 18-year-old Thiago Pitarch has been integrated into the squad by coach Álvaro Arbeloa, playing alongside Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde, and Arda Güler.