Rodri in Real Madrid sights as secret Madrid summit boosts £100m transfer bid

Real Madrid have stepped up their pursuit of Manchester City midfielder Rodri after a secret meeting in the Spanish capital convinced the club’s hierarchy to push ahead with a deal, according to reports in France and the UK.

The European champions have reportedly made the Spain international their priority to fill the long-term void left by Toni Kroos, who retired from professional football in 2024 after first stepping away from the national team two years earlier.

Perez shifts stance as Rodri becomes ‘ideal’ Kroos successor

French newspaper L’Equipe says Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has changed his initial position on signing Rodri and has now authorised the club to formally move forward in their efforts to recruit the Manchester City star.

The report claims the Bernabeu board have concluded that signing a high‐calibre holding midfielder is essential, and that Rodri is viewed internally as the best available option to assume the deep‐lying playmaker role Kroos mastered during his decade in Madrid.

Club officials are said to believe the 28‐year‐old’s passing range, positional intelligence and big‐game record under Pep Guardiola make him uniquely suited to anchor Real’s evolving midfield for the remainder of the decade.

Valuation gap: Real cap offer at €60m, City want €100m

Despite the growing desire in Madrid to secure Rodri’s services, a significant gap remains between the two clubs’ valuations.

L’Equipe reports that Real Madrid are unwilling to exceed a fee of €60m (£51m) for the former Atletico Madrid midfielder. Manchester City, however, are understood to be holding firm at an asking price of around €100m (£85m) to even consider a sale.

That €40m difference poses the main obstacle to any agreement, with no indication yet that City are prepared to soften their stance. The Premier League champions regard Rodri as a central pillar of Guardiola’s system and one of the most influential players in European football.

‘Secret’ Madrid restaurant meeting fuels transfer momentum

Sky Sports reports that the likelihood of Rodri moving to the Bernabeu this summer has risen following what it describes as a “secret” meeting in a Madrid restaurant.

According to the UK outlet, senior Real Madrid executives met with representatives of the player in the Spanish capital, with discussions described as constructive. The summit is said to have concluded with the Real board deciding to intensify efforts to get a deal over the line.

Sky Sports adds that Real are preparing a long‐term contract offer running until 2030. The Spanish giants are currently working on agreeing personal terms with Rodri’s camp, including salary structure and bonuses, before making a formal approach to City.

Long-term rebuild at the Bernabeu

Any move for Rodri would be part of a broader generational overhaul at Real Madrid, who have already refreshed much of their midfield with the arrivals of Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham in recent seasons.

However, club strategists reportedly believe none of the current options replicates Kroos’s specific profile at the base of midfield, prompting the renewed focus on a specialist organiser like Rodri.

With City insistent on a nine‐figure fee and Real reluctant to break their self‐imposed ceiling, the coming weeks are likely to be dominated by negotiations, brinkmanship and speculation over whether one of Europe’s most important midfielders will be prised away from the Etihad Stadium.

Neither Real Madrid nor Manchester City have yet publicly commented on the reports.