• Real Madrid will make one final attempt to sign Rodri after days without progress in negotiations

• Pessimism has set in within the Real Madrid camp following a prolonged standstill in talks

• Barcelona are monitoring the situation and have made contact with Rodri’s camp should Madrid fail

Real Madrid are set to make one last attempt to sign Manchester City‘s Rodri after several days of stalled negotiations, as per a new report from Spain.

Rodri is into the final 12 months of his Manchester City contract, having not yet committed to a new deal despite an improved renewal offer being placed on the table, leaving the question of his future unresolved deep into a summer of sustained and escalating speculation.

Advertisement

The 30-year-old’s performances at the FIFA World Cup, culminating in a Golden Ball as the tournament’s finest player, accelerated interest from clubs on both sides of Spain’s footballing divide to a point where his situation has become one of the defining sagas of the entire transfer window.

Barcelona explore deal for Manchester City’s Rodri

Real Madrid entered the race in earnest after initially appearing to rule out any pursuit, with the midfielder understood to view a return to his home country with genuine openness and with Manchester City communicating a fee of approximately £50 million to facilitate a departure this summer.

The days since that initial momentum, however, have passed without the breakthrough required to push the deal over the line, with talks now described as having been at a standstill for several days by sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations.

Report: Madrid prepare final push as Barcelona monitor from distance

According to ESPN Deportes, negotiations between Real Madrid and Rodri’s camp have stalled and a mood of pessimism has taken hold within the Madrid hierarchy regarding their prospects of completing the deal.

Advertisement

Despite that pessimism, ESPN Deportes cite one source stating that Real Madrid will make “one final attempt” to secure the midfielder, suggesting the club retain enough belief in a deal to exhaust every remaining avenue before conceding defeat in the pursuit.

Barcelona have now entered the picture as a watching brief, with the club’s camp confirming to ESPN Deportes that they are monitoring the situation in the event that Real Madrid’s final push fails to produce a breakthrough. The Blaugrana have reportedly made contact with Rodri’s representatives over the conditions of a potential deal.

Barcelona’s position is complicated, however, by the fact that Hansi Flick‘s stated priority this window is signing a centre-forward to replace Robert Lewandowski – meaning any formal move for Rodri would need to be reconciled with that more pressing need before the Catalan club could commit at the level a deal of this magnitude would require.

Manchester City open to Rodri sale to Real Madrid on crucial recruitment condition

Manchester City’s summer transfer window so far

City’s summer has delivered the £116 million club record signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, with personal terms agreed to bring in Geronimo Rulli from Marseille as backup goalkeeper. James Trafford has completed a medical ahead of a £40 million move to Leeds United.

Advertisement

with further additions still being sought in the wide attacking position – including talks with a Chelsea forward’s representatives as an official bid is understood to be imminent.

Savinho’s future also remains a live concern, with a fresh update from Fabrizio Romano raising fresh doubts over whether the winger will remain at the Etihad Stadium. Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille remains the priority midfield target, though progress with the French club has been complicated by Lille president Olivier Létang’s public insistence that the 18-year-old will not be sold this summer.

Should Rodri depart, director of football Hugo Viana would be tasked with finding a successor for the world’s best player in his position – a challenge without precedent in the club’s recent history and one that would define the remainder of an already extraordinary summer window.