Manchester City‘s hopes of keeping hold of Rodri received a boost this week after the Spain international turned down direct contact from Paris Saint-Germain.
The rejection came as Real Madrid continue to push for a deal that could yet reshape City’s midfield heading into the new season.
PSG make their move, but Rodri says no
According to Sportskeeda, Paris Saint-Germain reached out directly to Rodri in an attempt to gauge his willingness to consider a move to the French capital this summer.
The Ligue 1 champions, fresh off back-to-back Champions League triumphs under Luis Enrique, are said to have been alerted to Rodri’s situation after missing out on Real Madrid target Yan Diomande.
The club identified the 2026 World Cup Golden Ball winner as a rare opportunity given he has just a year left on his City contract.
City’s number 16 did not entertain the idea. Rodri is understood to have given PSG a swift and unambiguous rejection, declining even to hear the specifics of the financial package the club had prepared.
“No, thank you,” the midfielder reportedly told PSG and refused to discuss any transfer opportunity with the club.
For a player who has spent seven years building a trophy-laden career at the Etihad, the response suggests his priorities lie elsewhere – and it is not with a move to Paris.
That will come as a relief to City supporters, but it does not end the uncertainty surrounding the 30-year-old’s long-term future.
Real Madrid have been strongly linked with Rodri for months, with reports suggesting personal terms have already been discussed between the player’s camp and the Spanish giants.
Barcelona, too, have entered the conversation, with the Catalan club said to have made contact with Rodri’s representatives following a long-term injury to Frenkie de Jong.
City weigh their options as contract talks continue
For Manchester City, the situation represents one of the more delicate challenges of the summer.
Rodri has been central to the club’s success since arriving from Atletico Madrid in 2019, scoring the winning goal in the 2023 Champions League final and collecting four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and three League Cups along the way.
Losing a player of that stature, and that influence in the dressing room, is not something the club will contemplate lightly.
City are said to be doing everything possible to convince Rodri to sign a new deal and remain at the Etihad beyond the current campaign, which runs until 2027.
Two contract offers are understood to already be on the table. But the pull of Real Madrid, a club Rodri is reported to have long admired, means those discussions carry real weight, and there is no guarantee the midfielder’s head will be turned by fresh terms alone.
New head coach Enzo Maresca, who took charge at the Etihad after Pep Guardiola’s departure, will be acutely aware of what is at stake.
Rebuilding a midfield around a player of Rodri’s profile is one thing; doing so without him would represent a significant shift in how City set up under their new manager.
Maresca has inherited a squad still considered among the strongest in Europe, but the uncertainty over Rodri’s future is one of the more pressing issues he faces before the transfer window closes.
Financially, City are reported to be holding out for a fee in the region of £68m should they eventually sanction a sale, while Real Madrid’s valuation is said to sit closer to £51m – a gap that could yet prove significant if talks between the two clubs progress.
For now, though, no formal Real Madrid bid has been confirmed, and City’s stance remains that they would prefer to keep their captain-in-waiting rather than sell.
