Rodri to Real Madrid: Los Blancos "very confident" of pulling off spectacular deal for Spain superstar

As Real Madrid push to sign Spanish midfielder Rodri from Manchester City, Sports Mole's Football Editor Matt Law discusses the current state of affairs.

Matt Law, Football Editor: "The move is expected to happen"

The story has gathered a lot of pace over the last few days. Man City were initially very confident, before and just after the World Cup, that he would extend his contract. 

He has done everything you could want at Man City. He has won four Premier League titles and the Champions League, cementing himself as one of the best midfielders of all time in the Premier League. 

Top five would be a fair assessment when you consider his contribution over a really successful period for Manchester City. PSG were strongly linked but it does not look like he is going there. 

Some of his Spain teammates at Barcelona have reportedly been in his ear to convince him to join the reigning La Liga champions, but it very much looks like it will be Real Madrid. 

His Atletico Madrid background slightly complicates that, but he didn't start his career there and it is not his club, so he does look set to make the move to the Bernabeu. 

The move is expected to happen, and City are in a difficult situation with his contract in its final year. If he had three or four years left on his contract, the fee would be over £100m.

Rodri is a fascinating player because he does not rely on explosive pace or pure physicality. His game is about dictating from deep and his intelligence on the ball, which means he could carry out this role for another three or four years at the highest level. 

Real Madrid are thinking they will get a really good three or four seasons out of him. He could potentially help them get back to the top of European football, and the expectation is that the move will happen. 

Real Madrid are very confident of getting a deal over the line, and it would be a fantastic signing given his pedigree and his performances at the World Cup. The World Cup performance would suggest he is back to his best. 

He was dealing with a back problem at the tournament, which has resulted in a minor operation that will sideline him for a short period. 

It was not a major operation, unlike the back surgery we have seen lead to lengthy recoveries for others, such as Matthijs de Ligt at Manchester United. 

It is such a complicated area of the body. Despite those injury issues, the fact that he was able to put in those performances is significant. 

The counterargument against Rodri is the injury problems he has had, including that serious knee injury from September 2024 until the middle of 2025. 

He had injury problems last season too, playing only 24 Premier League matches over the last two seasons. He was so good in the 2023-24 season, but last season, particularly towards the start and end of the campaign, he was not at his level. 

A lot of people, myself included, thought he was struggling to overcome the seriousness of his injuries. That is what people forget with serious knee injuries. 

After recovering the knee, players start picking up groin injuries, hamstring injuries, and other muscular injuries because of the imbalance caused by the severity of the original injury. 

The body is still getting used to the recovery process from such a serious knee injury, and it was a particularly bad one. 

That would be the slight concern around this move, but the World Cup was a reminder that he is still the best of his kind in world football, and Real Madrid have seen that. 

Real Madrid did not think there was a chance of signing him earlier this summer, but they have since been given serious encouragement, driven by Rodri's own desire to make the move. 

With a player in the last year of his contract who is very keen to leave, and Real Madrid prepared to pay the money, there is a clear recipe for the transfer to happen. 

There are no major concerns about a drop-off from Rodri next season. He has already shown his level in Spain, where the game is slightly less physically demanding than the Premier League. 

Real Madrid will have a lot of the ball in many matches, and Rodri will not be asked to put in the same demands as he is on a week-to-week basis at Man City. 

Every game is hard in the Premier League, and there are many good teams in Spain, but not at the consistent level of the Premier League.

It is a great move for Rodri and for Real Madrid. Man City will really feel the loss of that presence in the middle next season. 

He is set to join Real Madrid and will have a key role to play as they look to get back to the top of Spanish and European football.