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Manchester City are reportedly preparing a new contract with a significantly higher salary for 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri. According to The Express (via GOAL h/t Sunday Mirror), the new deal will keep the Spaniard at the Etihad Stadium until the end of the 2028-29 campaign.
Rodri joined the Cityzens from LaLiga side Atletico Madrid for a reported €70 million fee in the summer of 2019. He immediately slotted into Pep Guardiola's starting lineup and soon established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in world football.
He helped City win an unprecedented four Premier League titles in a row (2020-21 to 2023-24), alongside an FA Cup, an EFL Cup, and a FIFA Club World Cup. In the 2023-24 season, Guardiola's side won a historic treble, with Rodri scoring the winner in a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final.
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He also played a starring role in Spain's EURO 2024 triumph. His stellar campaign was recognized when French Football awarded him the 2024 Ballon d'Or title.
Unfortunately for Manchester City, Rodri suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in September 2024. He was sidelined for almost the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign. In his absence, the Sky Blues floundered, finishing 13 points adrift of champions Liverpool in the Premier League standings and crashing out of every other competition.
With Rodri having completed a full recovery ahead of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup, City are keen to tie him down on a longer contract. According to The Express, the new deal will see him make more than £300,000 per week, a significant step up from his current £200,000-a-week wages.
"He was deservedly the winner" - Manchester City chief Khaldoon Al Mubarak makes claim about Rodri's 2024 Ballon d'Or triumph
Manchester City club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has claimed that superstar Spanish midfielder Rodri 'deservedly' claimed the 2024 Ballon d'Or title.
In his end-of-season interview on the club's official media channels, the Emirati official said (via City Xtra):
"He was deservedly the winner last year. And then to get injured in September with an ACL injury and miss the whole season effectively, in the year that he won the Ballon d'Or is tough luck. And Rodri, beyond the Ballon d'Or, just as a player is such an important player for this club in every possible way, on the pitch and off the pitch. So he was a huge miss for us this season, a massive miss."
The Manchester City chief also commended Rodri's tenacity on his road to recovery and expressed his excitement about seeing the Spaniard back in action. He added:
"The surgery first, and then the therapy, and then going through these weeks and weeks of difficult recovery, it's hard on every player... Rodri, I think, was top notch. Ballon d'Or also, as an injured player, he was just again the best. He trained hard, recovered hard, was very disciplined, he wanted to be on the pitch as soon as physically possible... He's now fully-fit and he's ready, and I have no doubt Rodri is going to come back to the heights of the Ballon d'Or year, and more. I’m so excited about him coming back!"
Rodri returned in Manchester City's penultimate game of the season against Bournemouth before being on the bench on the final day. He could now feature in their opening FIFA Club World Cup fixture, against Moroccan side Wydad AC on June 18.
