Real Madrid Revives Interest in Rodri Hernández

Real Madrid have circled big names before and walked away. This time, they’re turning back. According to The Athletic, the European champions have revived their interest in Manchester City midfielder Rodri Hernández and are now operating under the assumption that he will be wearing white next season.

It marks a sharp change of stance in Madrid. The club had initially ruled out a move for Rodri, weighing the cost, the difficulty of negotiating with City, and the long-term structure of their midfield. Then came the World Cup.

Rodri’s performances on the biggest stage forced a rethink. His command in the middle of the pitch, his ability to dictate tempo, and his defensive authority left a lasting impression on the Bernabéu hierarchy. What had been a closed door is now wide open.

On the other side of the deal, the situation has shifted as well. Rodri and Manchester City were expected to sit down after the World Cup to discuss a contract extension. Those talks never gathered pace. The midfielder has shown little interest in committing to a longer stay, a stance that has only encouraged Madrid.

The timing is significant. With Pep Guardiola gone and City entering what has been described as a minor rebuild, the Premier League club face a delicate summer. There is more uncertainty, more movement, and more willingness to reshape a squad that has been defined for years by Guardiola’s ideas.

That environment makes a negotiation possible. With more than a month left in the transfer window, City are likely to engage with Real Madrid over a potential deal, aware that holding an unsettled star in a changing dressing room carries its own risks.

Madrid, for their part, sense an opening they did not expect a few months ago. They have the financial muscle, the sporting project, and the prestige to tempt a midfielder at the peak of his powers.

If the confidence reported by David Ornstein and Mario Cortegana proves justified, the European landscape could tilt again — and City’s post-Guardiola era would begin without the man who has so often held their midfield together.