Manchester City are keen to tie Rodri down to a new long-term deal, in order to stave off any potential swoop from Real Madrid.
Rodri played just three games this season before picking up a serious knee injury against Arsenal, which will keep him out for the rest of 2024/25. Despite that, Manchester City are willing to repay his exploits in recent years with a new deal.
According to Spanish outlet Cadena SER, Manchester City are worried about losing Rodri in the future and are willing to offer him a new contract to keep him at the club even longer.
Manchester City desperate to keep hold of Rodri
The Spaniard's current deal is set to expire at the end of the 2026/27 season, when he'll have just turned 31. While that seems plenty of time to negotiate a new contract over the next year or so, his recent Ballon d'Or win and clear status within the team suggests he should be earning among the best at Manchester City.
He last signed a new contract with Manchester City in July 2022, though, before he was crowned the best player in the world or even scored the winner in the Champions League final against Inter Milan. Guardiola's side, therefore, are concerned Real Madrid will attempt to lure him back to the Spanish captial with a lucrative offer.
The report also names Barcelona and Bayern Munich as potential destinations for the central midfielder, highlighting he won't be short of options if he seeks pastures new.
But while he spent a season at Atletico Madrid before moving to Manchester City, the opportunity to return to his birth city with Real Madrid could prove too difficult to pass up - hence Manchester City's reported urgency in offering him a new deal, despite the fact he is out injured for the remainder of the campaign.
VIDEO: Why Man United HAD To Sack Erik Ten Hag
Currently valued at €130m by Transfermarkt, any new contract could see that fee dramatically rise, diminishing Real Madrid's interest in the process.
In FourFourTwo's view, it would make sense for City to try and add an extra year or two onto his contract, but Rodri is certainly in no rush to sign anything. It's unclear what he'll want from that stage of his career, so he'd certainly be smart in stalling on any offer.
‘Even though it was late in the game, the Arsenal fans started singing my name. It felt like the moment I announced myself as a professional footballer’: Ex-Gunners star recalls scoring first senior goal as a teenager at Highbury
'I started to drive myself crazy': Former Manchester United midfielder explains why it all went wrong for him under Erik ten Hag
