Reports in the press say that Man City have agreed to let their key player Rodrigo Hernandez, known as “Rodri”, join Real Madrid in the next summer transfer window—but only if the deal includes a big player swap.
According to several media outlets, Man City told Real Madrid they will only allow Rodri to leave if the Spanish champions include England midfielder Jude Bellingham in the deal. This swap would allow Rodri to make the move to the La Liga giants.
Real Madrid recently confirmed that Croatian veteran Luka Modrić has left the club after a brilliant 13-year spell, during which he won a record 28 trophies with Los Blancos.
As soon as Modrić’s departure became official, Real Madrid’s board started looking for a strong midfielder who could take his place. But they won’t complete any deal until after their run in the 2025 Club World Cup, which takes place in the United States this summer.
Man City want Bellingham in return for Rodri
Rodri, who is now 28 years old, has become one of the top names to replace Modrić. This is despite just returning from a serious cruciate ligament injury that kept him out for more than 240 days.
But the Spanish news outlet Defensa Central reported that Man City told Real Madrid they will only accept Bellingham in return for Rodri. The report said City made it clear Bellingham is the only player they are willing to take in exchange for letting the Spanish midfielder go.
As for Real Madrid, the source said, “Letting Bellingham go is totally off the table for the Madrid board, and they won’t consider it—not with Man City or any other club next summer.” That’s because Bellingham is seen as one of the most important players in the squad and someone they won’t let leave under any condition.
It’s worth noting that Man City boss Pep Guardiola has already spoken about how pleased he is to have Rodri back from injury. He said this ahead of the team’s participation in the 2025 Club World Cup. The team really struggled during Rodri’s absence, and they had a poor run of results in all competitions while he was out.
