Rodri to Real Madrid: Guardiola opens door to record transfer

Robin Bairner

4 Apr 2026 10:17 BST
4 min read

Rodri need only say the word and he will be a Real Madrid player, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed.

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Los Blancos have long been linked with a move for the Spain midfielder and have been told that if the City captain expresses a desire to move back to his homeland, the Premier League giants will not stand in his way.

With Real Madrid eager to sign the 29-year-old, everything appears to rest on the shoulders of the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner.

Current ETV

Rodri

DM, M (C)

Man City

Rodri

DM, M (C)

Man City

ETV Range

€81.2M - €99.3M

“The organisation of the club is above all of us. If one player is not happy, they have to leave. It will continue to be the same,” Guardiola told the media on Friday.

“I think he is still happy and I hope he is happy but if he is not, all he has to do is knock the door of the sporting director, accept an offer in an accordance with his incredible quality and after that it belongs to the clubs and himself.”

Rodri to Real Madrid could break Man City record

What might a suitable offer look like? Rodri’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) sits at €90 million, and that’s despite only having a year to run on his Man City contract and coming back from serious injury.

Such a figure would represent a record sale for the Premier League giants, whose current record stands at the €75m they recouped when they sold Julian Alvarz to Atletico Madrid in 2024.

It would also see Rodri slot into Real Madrid’s five biggest signings behind Eden Hazard, Jude Bellingham, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.

© IMAGO - Rodri, Man City, Estimated Transfer Value (April, 2026)

A strong fit for Los Blancos

Rodri continues to rank among the best midfielders in the Premier League, with his all-round performances for Man City underpinning the title challenge of the Etihad side.

Hampered by hamstring problems, he has featured 18 times in the top-flight this season and has regularly completed 90 minutes for Guardiola’s club in the biggest games.

Moving to Real Madrid, meanwhile, would be a logical move for Rodri. According to SciSports’ Career Advice tool, which uses AI to calculate the best moves for a player, the Bernabeu side has a strong Club Fit of 80.

Los Blancos score strongly across the board for Rodri, and while there are better options in the form of Juventus (82), PSG (82) and Inter Milan (81), if he has his heart set on moving back to Spain, the Madrid side is the obvious option.

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Their prospects of landing the Dutchman, though, hinge on Neuer’s plans.