Manchester City star defensive midfielder Rodri's 2026 World Cup performance has been one of the biggest stories in world football right now, as the Golden Ball winner delivered an emphatic performance that made a clear statement to Real Madrid that he belongs at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Rodri dominated current Real Madrid starting No. 6 Aurelien Tchouameni, who just signed a contract extension despite a terrible season, and then destroyed another player dreaming of a Santiago Bernabeu move this summer in Enzo Fernandez and Argentina in the World Cup Final itself.
Despite his incredible displays and even Jose Mourinho, other members of the Real Madrid front office, and the players themselves pushing for Rodri, president Florentino Perez has been rejecting any approach for the Manchester City standout this summer.
Rodri is a big risk for Real Madrid
Not only does Rodri have one year on his contract and could be signed for free next year instead of spending potentially 60 million pounds on the player, but Real Madrid's president is also worried about the injury history.
Even though Rodri looked great from his ACL tear recovery this summer, that is not the only issue to watch for here. Because according to a new report from James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph, Rodri is actually going to have to miss the start of the 2026/27 Premier League season for Manchester City with an injury. Like France's William Saliba, Rodri has a back injury that requires surgery and is even putting some "uncertainty" over his future, per Ducker.
This news has to add more drama to a Real Madrid transfer for Rodri, and even if Jose Mourinho and others at Real are convinced by Rodri and not worried about any of this, a chronic back issue requiring surgery and causing missed time is a massive deal, especially if Real Madrid are going to be paying 60 million euros to Man City in order to sign the man right here and right now instead of waiting in free agency.
It also changes the risk calculus, too. Signing Rodri to a one year deal in free agency is one thing, signing him to big wages over a few years is another, and signing him to that deal plus paying a big transfer fee is an entirely different risk for Florentino Perez and the club to take. It looks like Flo's big worries about Rodri may have been right all along. And that's food for thought.
Add us as a preferred source on Google