Real Madrid hold secret meeting: Mega transfer planned

24 Jul 2026 15:51 BST | 4 min read

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

Make us your Google favourite

Rodri finds himself caught between Manchester City and Real Madrid, but a ‘secret transfer meeting’ may just have decided the future of the 2026 World Cup’s best player.

Article continues under the video

While the midfielder has made it plain that he would like to move to Jose Mourinho’s club, Los Blancos have been indecisive over moving for the Spain captain. In particular, president Florentino Perez is said to have questioned the wisdom of a deal.

But in a dramatic turnaround, Real Madrid are now working on the deal, with Sky Sport Deutschland reporting that they have held a ‘secret meeting’ that has put a ‘mega transfer’ very much on the table this summer.

Current ETV

Rodri

DM, M (C)

Man City

Rodri

DM, M (C)

Man City

ETV Range

€59.2M - €72.4M

Real Madrid step up Rodri chase

It claims that a meeting took place in Madrid on Tuesday, in which representatives of the Bernabeu side conducted discussions with Rodri’s agent.

“Well-informed sources” have indicated that Real Madrid are willing to offer Rodri a deal that would run until 2030.

The player wants to return to his homeland and has a contract with Manchester City that runs until 2027, meaning that he could very well be sold to prevent him from departing as a free agent next summer.

City, on the other hand, do not want to see the iconic midfielder depart and have offered him an extension.

© IMAGO - Rodri was named the best player at the 2026 World Cup

This update echoes that of Matteo Moretto from Wednesday. The transfer expert said:

“Real Madrid already have Rodri’s approval to sign, and from a contractual standpoint, the parties are very close.

“Florentino Perez is now showing that he is much more open to the possibility of signing him.

“There are still no negotiations underway with Manchester City.”

Rodri would be a big deal for Real Madrid

Talks with City are likely to prove complicated, despite the fact that Rodri only has a year left to run on his contract.

His Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) continues to sit at €65.8 million, though this is dropping owing to his expiring deal. At his peak, he had an ETV of €144m – the highest figure ever for a midfield player.

Real Madrid have not signed a player for €65m or above for three years and indeed have completed only three such deals in the 2020s: Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco for €80m in 2022 and Jude Bellingham the following year from Borussia Dortmund for €113m.

While Rodri is unlikely to break into Real Madrid’s biggest five transfers of all time, he would represent a sizeable investment for the club in its current era – which will give Man City hope they can hold out successfully against this summer’s assault.

However, Los Blancos are dogged when it comes to getting the players they want. Denied Kylian Mbappe by PSG in similar circumstances when he had a year left on his contract in France, Real Madrid were patient and picked him up as a free agent 12 months later. The signs are that we could see the same with Rodri.