- Man City bosses are wanting to tie star midfielder down to new contract
- Rodri could double his wages – and stay at the Etihad through his prime years
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Manchester City are preparing to offer star midfielder Rodri a new double-your-money deal that will keep him at the Etihad through his prime years.
The Premier League champions see the midfielder as one of their most influential players and are preparing to reward him with a pay rise that would take him up to a reported £375,000-a-week.
The Mirror have reported the deal would put him on parity with City’s top earners, such as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
City have been quiet so far in this transfer window, but it’s understood that pinning their midfield lynchpin down to a new deal was a top priority.
At 28, Rodri is reaching the peak years of his career and it’s known manager Pep Guardiola is willing to shape his midfield around the player.
Rodri could double his wages as Manchester City are set to offer him a new deal
The Spanish midfielder still has three years left on his current agreement but has recently admitted that some of Real Madrid’s players have been on the charm offensive, in a bid to bring him to the country’s capital.
Rodri, however, will not be featuring in City’s opening game of the season.
The 28-year-old suffered a thigh injury in Spain’s European Championship final victory over England — after a collision with former City defender Aymeric Laporte — and although Guardiola suggested Rodri feels fine, they have allowed him extra rest over the summer.
Rodri did not return to the club until Wednesday, when he completed pre-season tests.
Manchester City will be forced to adapt to playing without key man Rodri on Sunday afternoon
City seem sure that a holding midfielder is unlikely to be signed before the end of the window
‘He hasn’t trained and I haven’t seen him yet,’ Guardiola said. ‘I think he feels good. But we have to start training and we’ll see how he moves his body and how he feels.’
Guardiola maintained there is ‘no chance’ of Rodri travelling to Stamford Bridge, after Mateo Kovacic and teenager Nico O’Reilly manned midfield against United in the Community Shield.
Rodri has been pivotal to City’s success in recent seasons, and has only grown in stature since joining the Blues in 2019.
