Manchester City are not currently as attractive as they were a couple of years ago under Pep Guardiola.
After winning the treble in 2023, the Citizens were the talk of the football world, an achievement which led to Rodri winning the Ballon d’Or, and also helped Manchester City secure the hottest defensive talent in Europe in Josko Gvardiol.
However, Manchester City have some work to do to get back to that level, having endured a poor 2024/25 campaign which saw Pep Guardiola fail to win any silverware for the first time since the 2016/17 term, his debut season at the Etihad Stadium.
Despite this setback, there is clearly still a strong pull factor, with a superstar in Rodrygo now keen on a move to Manchester City.
Rodrygo wants Manchester City over Arsenal
Spanish news outlet Cadena SER now state that the Brazil international prefers a move to the Etihad Stadium over the Emirates Stadium this summer.
The Real Madrid No.11 is said to be aware of interest from Arsenal as his Real Madrid career hangs in the balance, but is waiting for Manchester City to make a concrete approach.
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Cadena SER add that Real Madrid value Rodrygo – who Sergio Aguero thinks is better than Julian Alvarez – at €90m (£77m) and view the Brazilian as the weakest link in the attack under Xabi Alonso, where fierce competition exists in the form of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham.
The South American was left on the bench for the entirety of Real Madrid’s most recent FIFA Club World Cup outing, a 3-1 win over Pachuca, and seems highly likely to be sold this summer.
What Rodrygo has previously said about Manchester City and Erling Haaland
Many rumours should be taken with a pinch of salt during a transfer window, but it would not surprise us if talk of the 24-year-old wanting to join Manchester City is true based on previous comments.
Rodrygo hailed Manchester City after Real Madrid knocked the Citizens out of the UEFA Champions League on penalties in April 2024, telling GQ Espana: “To be honest, we knew they were better.
“For me, it’s the best team in the world, the one that plays the best football. I think the toughest opponent is gone.”
Rodrygo also praised Manchester City before that game when speaking to the Guardian, saying: “There are no bad or medium (Manchester City) players. There’s no player you can think of like, this one I’m going to press because he isn’t good, and he will give us a goal or a great chance.
“They have a very good control of the game and of the ball. It’s a very beautiful game, a very difficult team. It’s very annoying to play against them.”
Furthermore, Rodrygo has heaped praise on Erling Haaland in the past, telling RTVE: “Haaland scores a lot of goals. No one knows how to stop him.
“I hope he doesn’t score against us. Manchester City are always scary. They are a great team, they play very well.”
Clearly, Rodrygo is an admirer of Manchester City, so he may well actually be holding out for a move to the Etihad Stadium instead of Arsenal this summer.