Rodri, fresh from captaining Spain to World Cup victory, will undergo back surgery on Monday, leaving Manchester City with a dilemma over the midfielder's future as the club undergoes a dramatic overhaul.
The 30-year-old has just a year left on his contract and, according to reports, Real Madrid are "operating on the basis" of signing him. City have already seen four starters from their Treble-winning 2022-23 side depart this summer: Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Bernardo Silva and John Stones. In came £116m Elliot Anderson and promising 17-year-old Jeremy Monga.
“Rodri to have back surgery as Manchester City face decision on midfielder's future amid Real Madrid interest.”
New boss Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola after a decade, was unequivocal in his first news conference: "I think every manager wants to have Rodri because he is a top player." But he added: "Now, surgery on Monday… he needs a holiday… he needs to rest and recover and then he will be back with us."
How long Rodri will be sidelined is unclear. Guardiola, speaking last October after Rodri returned from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, said: "In the World Cup, he will be the best Rodri, and next season he will be the best Rodri." Guardiola was proved right: Rodri not only led Spain to glory but won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.
Maresca's plan appears to be to retain one of the world's best players, but contingencies are in place. Anderson provides an option, while City are monitoring 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who impressed for Morocco in the World Cup.
Maresca, a disciple of positional play, compares his football to chess. "There are a lot of similarities," he said. "The most important is positional play and strategy. For a coach, it's important to have the mentality of a chess player: develop a plan, study counter-moves, choose the arrangement of the pieces."
His on-the-ball shape is typically a 3-2-2-3, and Rodri's qualities are well-suited to that system. Whether Maresca gets to deploy him — or is forced to cash in — remains the question.