Manchester City could move for Alexis Mac Allister as a replacement should Rodri depart the club this summer, a journalist has claimed.
The Liverpool midfielder has been one of the standout performers in the Premier League in recent seasons. Since joining from Brighton in 2023, the Argentine has helped the Reds lift both the Premier League title and the EFL Cup.
Now 27, Mac Allister looks to be entering the prime years of his career, and City are reportedly keeping tabs on him as a potential option in midfield.
A source close to the situation revealed that Mac Allister features among the names City are considering to strengthen their squad if Rodri moves on.
Meanwhile, the race for Rodri’s signature appears to be tilting away from Real Madrid and toward Barcelona.
TEAMtalk journalist Graeme Bailey reports that Real Madrid have pulled out of the running for the Spain international after learning of his preference for a move to Barcelona instead.
Bailey explained that Real were caught off guard when Rodri’s representatives signalled that Barcelona had become the more attractive destination, with the club informed of this shift earlier in the week. He noted that Madrid had invested significant time shaping plans for the role Rodri would occupy both on the pitch and within the squad, and that he’d been one of their key targets even before Mourinho’s arrival as manager.
According to Bailey, Mourinho was fully on board with pursuing the midfielder, but both the coaching staff and club hierarchy are now united in stepping back from the deal. Their position, he said, is straightforward: if a player isn’t fully committed to Real Madrid, the club won’t pursue him, regardless of talent. Real reportedly hold no ill will toward Rodri, but only wanted him if his heart was truly set on a future at the Bernabeu.
Bailey added that Madrid are firm in their decision to withdraw, and Rodri’s camp has accepted that outcome. The knock-on effect, he suggested, is that City no longer benefit from having two major suitors driving competition for the midfielder.
