Man City ‘working’ on new Rodri contract – but is it a massive mistake?

Manchester City are ramping up talks with Rodri and his agent as they push to tie the midfielder down to a new contract, according to a report.

TBR claim Man City have been in discussions with Rodri’s camp for over a year, and the two parties are ‘confident’ an agreement will be reached. City are determined to finalise the deal before the end of the year to ward off interest from Real Madrid.

Rodri postponed contract talks with City previously to focus on getting fit, but he is now open to extending his terms beyond June 2027.

New Rodri contract: Everything you need to know

• City sporting director Hugo Viana is actively ‘working’ on Rodri’s new deal
• ‘Progress’ is being made between the two parties
• Rodri is ready to snub Madrid to continue his City spell

Speaking to TBR, journalist Graeme Bailey said: “City are now working on Rodri’s new deal – he is back from injury and things are progressing, I am told.

“Rodri is a huge piece in the City jigsaw, as they want the spine of the team tied down. [Gianluigi] Donnarumma came in on a long-term deal, [Ruben] Dias and [Erling] Haaland re-signed, and now they are confident Rodri will follow.

“Viana has his plans and things are going well. If City can tie down Rodri and Phil Foden in the coming weeks, they can then concentrate on improvements – but overall, they are very happy with how their squad looks.”

City opened contract talks with the Ballon d’Or winner in summer 2024 but everything was put on hold when he suffered an ACL injury that September.

Pep Guardiola’s side have since agreed new contracts with Haaland, Dias, Nico O’Reilly, Savinho and Rico Lewis, with Rodri and Phil Foden next in their sights.

Madrid president Florentino Perez reportedly sees Rodri as a dream midfield signing, though City are working hard to deny them such a transfer.

TBR‘s reputation has improved in recent years, having employed transfer insider Bailey. Other outlets have previously reported that City are in contract negotiations with Rodri, so it is likely that TBR’s claim is true.

But are City making the right decision?

Why new Rodri contract could be a big risk

Rodri missed almost the entirety of last season with that ACL injury as he was forced to undergo surgery.

He returned towards the back end of last season and made four appearances at the Club World Cup. However, he asked to be substituted during the surprise defeat to Al-Hilal after suffering pain in his knee.

The Spain star made seven appearances this season before picking up a hamstring injury 22 minutes into the 1-0 win over Brentford on October 5.

Those injuries raise questions over whether Rodri’s right knee will ever fully recover, and if his muscles can reach peak fitness again. The fact he spent so long out of action has put his body way behind.

By offering Rodri a contract extension, City risk paying a player big money even though he may never reach the world-class level again.

Rodri will back himself to get back to his best, but that is not guaranteed.

Players such as Virgil van Dijk and Florian Wirtz have shown it is possible to return to the elite level after an ACL injury, however there are plenty of examples of stars never managing to truly recover.

As Rodri is aged 29, he is facing a crucial period in his career. He seems to have convinced Pep Guardiola and Viana that his latest injury is only a blip, but only time will tell if that is actually the case.

What will City do if Rodri declines?

City appear to be preparing themselves in case Rodri cannot rediscover his best form, having started to sound out the market for a top midfield signing.

It was claimed on October 8 that the Cityzens have identified Madrid star Eduardo Camavinga as a potential replacement for Rodri.

The likes of Carlos Baleba and Elliot Anderson are also on City’s radar – we took a look at their seven-man shortlist last week.