Manchester City midfielder Rodri insisted he would only think about his future after the World Cup, amid links with a switch to Real Madrid this summer.
The 29-year-old has 12 months left to run on his contract at City but had recently been earmarked as a possible transfer target by Real presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme, who challenges Florentino Perez in this weekend’s election.
But Rodri insisted was reluctant to look past Spain’s World Cup campaign in the United States, Canada and Mexico, having linked up with his national team-mates at the weekend for a pre-tournament training camp in Madrid.
He told a press conference on Monday: “We’re here to talk about the World Cup. Everything that concerns my future, I’ll wait until the end of the World Cup.
“When a player is nearing the end of his contract, it’s normal for names to come up but I am very calm, I know where I stand and if there hadn’t been a World Cup, perhaps things might be different now.”
Rodri has made nearly 300 appearances since joining City, who paid a then club record £62.8m to Atletico Madrid to sign the midfielder seven years ago.
He has won the Premier League four times and the Champions League once, where he scored the only goal as City beat Inter Milan in the 2023 final.
His success with City as well as helping Spain win Euro 2024 saw him scoop the Ballon d’Or that year.
However, he has had a spate of injuries since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in September 2024 and struggled for consistency.
In March, he opened the door to a return back to Madrid, highlighting that many ex-Atletico players have crossed the divide and joined Real before.
"I’d like to return, yes, obviously," Rodri told Spanish radio station Onda Cero when asked about playing in his homeland again. "For me, LaLiga is where I started. I still follow it, it’s true not as much as before, but I still follow it.
“There have been many players who have gone down that path, right? And especially not directly, but over time. I mean, for me, you can’t turn down the best clubs in the world.”
PA
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