The speculation has been fuelled by Rodri’s own honest assessment of his career goals. The midfielder did little to quiet the rumours linking him with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Rodri said: "I have one year left on my contract, there will be a point where we will have to sit down and talk." When specifically pressed on the interest from Real Madrid, he added: "You can't turn down the best clubs in the world.
"I would like to return to La Liga - I still follow it. I hadn’t planned to play outside of Spain, but City came up. The Premier League is my weakness and a thrilling league, but it is a very demanding league. It pushes you to the limit. I’ve been there seven years now and I’m noticing that time is passing. But for now I am very happy there.”