Rodri will wear the number 16 at Real Madrid, according to journalist Alberto Pereiro.
This is probably the first time a player's kit number has been reported on long before the player is even announced by Real Madrid, or an agreement is even reached with the club in question - in this case, Manchester City.
Obviously, it is expected that Rodri will eventually end up joining Real Madrid this summer, but there are a few things to worry about before that happens.
One of them is obviously the main thing, which is the price tag and the transfer fee negotiations with Manchester City.
That is still not done, and Real Madrid need to finalize that as soon as possible. Manchester City are trying to drive the price up by trying to add other clubs to the race, but everyone knows that Rodri only wants to join Real Madrid, so it is not really a tactic would be working that well for them.
It makes complete sense that Rodri is going to wear the number 16
The second thing is that there is literally no space for Rodri in the squad at the moment. For him to join, someone will have to leave or someone's contract will have to be terminated. Until then, the player cannot be officially announced by the club.
Obviously, if Real Madrid end up finding an agreement with Manchester City, which they probably will, they will also be able to find a solution to the second problem.
It is just really bizarre that a kit number is being reported online before the transfer is even done.
It does make sense, though, that Rodri wears the number 16 for Real Madrid. It is the number that he has worn throughout his time at Manchester City, and is also the number that he wore while lifting the World Cup trophy.
16 is also a number that is currently available at Real Madrid after Gonzalo García's exit to Fulham earlier this week. So it makes perfect sense, and it was the first thought on my mind when Garcia ended up leaving his number behind.
Hopefully, for Real Madrid fans' sake, Real Madrid are able to reach an agreement with Manchester City over the transfer of Rodri at some point in the next week so that everyone can breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Everyone knows how important Rodri's signing would be for the club, and the sooner that is announced, the better it would be for everyone involved.
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