Manchester City would prefer to keep Rodri this summer even if he does not sign a new contract extension.

The arrival of Ayyoub Bouaddi or another midfielder could make it possible for the club to approve a sale.

City value Rodri at “significantly more” than the reported €50M figures being linked with Real Madrid.

Manchester City’s priority is to retain Rodri this summer even if there is no contract extension, but the completion of Ayyoub Bouaddi’s signing could create the conditions for an exit, according to a new report.

The 30-year-old has been at the centre of the most persistent transfer speculation of the summer, with Real Madrid believed to have reached a personal agreement with the midfielder. Rodri is also understood to have communicated his wish to join the Spanish side to people close to him, adding to the growing sense that this move could become inevitable despite Manchester City’s hierarchy repeatedly trying to resist that outcome.

The latest report explains City’s internal position in notable detail, drawing a clear distinction between the club’s real desire to keep their World Cup Golden Ball winner and the circumstances in which they would eventually agree to let him leave.

Manchester City have agreed five-year contract terms with Ayyoub Bouaddi as talks with Lille move into the final stages.

City’s chase for Bouaddi has run alongside the Rodri story throughout the summer, with the Morocco international widely seen as the player identified to become the long-term successor in the defensive midfield role if Rodri’s departure is ultimately approved.

The connection between the two situations — Rodri leaving and Bouaddi arriving — has rarely been stated more clearly than in Ben Jacobs’s framing, which effectively suggests the two matters are dependent on each other rather than being separate summer operations handled independently.

According to Ben Jacobs, Manchester City’s present preference is to keep Rodri even if he does not sign a new contract, with the club not prepared to approve a sale on terms they view as insufficient, regardless of how much time remains on his existing deal.

However, the arrival of Bouaddi or another midfielder would alter that thinking, giving City enough cover in the position to make a Rodri sale manageable rather than harmful to Enzo Maresca’s squad depth ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Importantly, Jacobs also addresses the issue of valuation directly, stating that City rate Rodri at “significantly more” than the €50 million figures that have been widely mentioned in relation to Real Madrid’s interest in the midfielder — a valuation which, when converted into pounds, already places him well above what Madrid seem ready to pay.

Reports from Spain have indicated that City’s asking price is around €80 million, while Real Madrid are understood to have set their own limit at €60 million. That leaves a gap between the two clubs that neither side has yet made a decisive move to close, even though the player’s personal preference is known to both.

Real Madrid have made first contact with Manchester City over a move for Rodri.

The picture painted by Jacobs is of a club operating from a steadier and more assured negotiating position than some of the wider coverage has suggested — a club that does not feel pressured to sell, is not allowing contract leverage to dictate terms, and is willing to let Rodri enter the final year of his deal rather than accept a fee they believe falls short.

Real Madrid’s belief that they can complete the transfer has been described as strong, and there appears to be little real doubt over the player’s wish to leave the Etihad Stadium. But those factors matter very little if City remain firm on a valuation that Madrid are currently either unwilling or unable to meet.

From the perspective of director of football Hugo Viana, the Bouaddi factor is the most practical part of the story. Completing the Lille deal — for a fee of around £85 million, according to earlier reports — would solve the midfield depth issue that currently makes a Rodri sale difficult in the present squad structure, and would give City the freedom to negotiate from a position of real strength rather than need.

Whether Bouaddi arrives before or after a final decision is taken on Rodri, or whether both deals progress side by side, is set to be one of the most important sequencing issues of the final weeks of the summer transfer window at the Etihad Stadium.