Rodri will 'leave' Man City 'on a free transfer'
Rodri will see out the remaining 12 months of his contract before leaving Manchester City on a free transfer.
That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that Real Madrid are unlikely to act on their strong links to the Spanish midfielder.
The 30-year-old experienced a difficult 2025-26 campaign at the Etihad Stadium after returning from an ACL injury, making just 17 Premier League starts.
Despite his struggles, the Spanish midfielder continues to be linked with a big move away, with Real Madrid reportedly huge admirers of the player, who left Atletico Madrid in 2019.
And given his lack of minutes across the last two campaigns, the Citizens are clearly making plans for the future, chasing deals for both Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali.
Interest in Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United's superstars have raised questions over Rodri's future as a Man City player, especially with 12 months left on his deal.
Rodri 'will leave Man City on a free transfer', says Stefan Borson
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson is adamant that, despite potential deals for two midfield stars, Rodri will stay at City for another year.
"Rodri is a simple situation in that if Real Madrid aren't going to buy him and it doesn't really look like they are this summer...
"Then he'll stay and probably leave on a free transfer [next summer]. But if Real Madrid go and buy [Enzo] Fernandez, that might change things again the other way round.
"Rodri could go to any one of Atletico [Madrid], Barcelona or Real Madrid, right? So if he ends up being a free transfer next summer, he's not going to have a problem finding one of those three clubs, or Bayern Munich.
"The picture looks like he probably will end up leaving City next summer."
What has Rodri said about the links to Real Madrid?
The links to Real Madrid have raised a few eyebrows, given his previous spell with Atletico Madrid between July 2018 and June 2019.
He has been starring in the Premier League for the last seven seasons, though, lifting the Ballon d'Or ahead of Vinicius Junior, and becoming one of the most feared midfielders in world football.
So, it is no surprise to see links with a move back to La Liga, and he has already spoken out about a potential return.
On live radio, he said: "There have been many players who have gone down that path. You can't turn down the best clubs in the world. They have a fanbase that really goes all out for them.
"For me, the Bernabéu is always incredible, a stadium that's very imposing," but Rodri later criticised the soundbite, which had been clipped out of a much longer interview.