Manchester Evening News: Man City valued Rodri far above €50 million

According to the Manchester Evening News, Manchester City's hopes of retaining Rodri have diminished since the end of the season. The player has not accepted any contract extension offers, and with his contract winding down, Real Madrid has also turned its attention to the Ballon d'Or winner.

Rodri is currently on leave after minor back surgery, and last week Enzo Fernandez stated that he expects Rodri to return to the Etihad before the start of the new season. But given the delicate relationship between Rodri and Manchester City and Real Madrid, rumors of a potential transfer are likely to continue circulating until then.

Either Manchester City or Rodri could come out to end this, such as the player explicitly stating he will sign a new contract, or the club releasing a statement explaining whether there are conditions that allow his sale. However, it is difficult for either side to take the initiative because they know it would upset those with whom they have a friendly relationship.

Manchester City has always had a golden rule regarding transfers, which is often misunderstood. Any player who wants to leave can go, as long as an acceptable offer is put on the table – the latter part is the key.

Some Manchester City fans are already dissatisfied with Rodri's situation, which is completely understandable. The last time Manchester City visited Hong Kong, Pep Guardiola was furious with Bayern Munich's brazen pursuit of Leroy Sané. Manchester City insisted that Sané could leave if the other party met their valuation of around £135 million for the player; but the money never materialized, and Sané subsequently played in the Community Shield and got injured, ruining that season and affecting his transfer.

Manchester City has repeatedly rejected high offers for Bernardo Silva because the club at the time deemed him too important to lose; Bernardo himself was not pleased but continued to play for the team, eventually leaving as a club legend. In Rodri's case, Manchester City was also annoyed by Barcelona's attempt to lowball for Eric Garcia, and they eventually calculated that it was more cost-effective to keep him and let him leave on a free transfer than to accept the increased offer Barcelona was willing to make.

This practice is not uncommon in football transfers – Kevin De Bruyne once used data companies to calculate his value to Manchester City and how much the team would have to spend to find a replacement – Rodri will also have a corresponding figure. This figure has not yet been disclosed, but it is significantly higher than the €50 million mentioned externally this week.

Manchester City CEO Soriano dislikes the emotional component of transfers, and losing Rodri after Silva would be a huge loss for the team. However, Soriano is a numbers person and knows that losses can be calculated, so as long as everyone understands what it will cost Real Madrid to take away a player who is expected to win the Ballon d'Or for the second time in three years and has already lifted the FIFA World Cup with Spain, there's no need for the entire summer to be emotionally stirred by this.

Football is a business, but if Real Madrid keeps leaking information without meeting Manchester City's transfer demands, Manchester City and Enzo Fernandez will only grow more impatient. In any negotiation, annoying the seller first is usually not the outcome the buyer wants.

Manchester City must accept that Rodri may not sign a new contract, but if they eventually lose him this summer or next, the deal must be on Manchester City's terms.

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