REAL Madrid are ready to make a £100m bid to lure Manchester City star Rodri to the Bernabeu this summer.
New Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has targeted the Spain midfielder as his priority after Real were destroyed by PSG in their Club World Cup semi-final earlier this month.
Xabi Alonso is targeting an audacious bid to land Man City star RodriGetty
GettyPep Guardiola will be reluctant to lose the midfielder as Madrid weigh up a £100m offer[/caption]
And while City chief Pep Guardiola will be reluctant to lose the midfield fulcrum whose absence for most of last season was a huge factor in his side surrendering their Premier League crown, Madrid believe the Etihad outfit might be tempted by a mega-bid.
Rodri, 29, was out from September until the last week of the season after suffering major ACL and meniscus injuries in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
He made one start and three appearances off the bench in the Club World Cup but only lasted 37 minutes after his arrival as City were shocked by Al Hilal in the last 16 before suffering a fresh problem.
Uncertainty over his true physical condition is one element that might persuade Real to wait and see, with his City contract due to expire in 2027.
That would allow the Bernabeu club to fully assess his physical condition over the course of the next 12 months, with that City deal running down and his asking price likely to drop significantly as well.
But Alonso is understood to be pushing the Madrid hierarchy to tempt City with a bid for the 29-year-old now, knowing that the Etihad side would be likely to be keen to tie Rodri to a long-term extension if his fitness holds up.
Real feel that former Atletico star Rodri, who was born in the Spanish capital and moved to the Prem in a £62.8m deal six years ago, would be open to a return “home”.
Alonso was stunned by the frailties of his midfield in that PSG mauling, when they could not get to grips with the movement and intensity of Vitinha, Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz.
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That has pushed him to demand a beefing up of his engine room options, with Rodri, Ballon d’Or winner in 2024 despite missing the final three months of the year after that surgery, seen as the perfect solution.
Pep has never even attempted to hide his estimation of the Spaniard, admitting after he started against Juventus in the US: “Everyone knows how important Rodri is.
“He is one of the best players in the world. When they’re not in a team, they’re missed.”
City signed Spain’s Nico Gonzalez from Porto for £50m in January and added Dutchman Tijjani Reijnders before the Club World Cup before landing Norwegian teenager Sverre Nypan last week.
Whether they can adequately replace Rodri is unclear and Guardiola seems unlikely to be open to a sale but Madrid are ready to test the waters in the closing weeks of the summer window.
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