Despite numerous reports this summer about the Brazilian forward potentially leaving the club, the transfer did not materialize—largely because the player himself had little desire to leave, and Real Madrid demanded a transfer fee of at least €100m.
During this summer’s transfer window, rumors about Rodrygo’s possible move were rife, with Manchester City showing particularly strong interest in him. The Citizens did indeed view Rodrygo as a key target for strengthening their attacking line, but this was all contingent on the departure of young player Savinho—a decision shaped by the club’s financial strategy and squad planning. In other words, Manchester City would only formally launch plans to sign Rodrygo if Savinho moved to Tottenham Hotspur.
The key to this potential transfer always lay with Real Madrid. In fact, Manchester City never submitted any formal written offer to Real Madrid, so the so-called "negotiations" remained mostly at the level of internal discussions within City. It is understood that if the team needed to further reinforce its attack, Rodrygo was the name personally mentioned by Pep Guardiola.
However, since Manchester City ultimately decided not to let Savinho leave—even though Tottenham offered more than €70m—the possibility of Rodrygo’s transfer vanished. At the same time, Rodrygo himself never publicly expressed a desire to leave nor pushed for a transfer. As a result, Manchester City’s interest in Rodrygo always remained at the level of the club’s intention, without any substantive contact with the player’s team.
Real Madrid made it very clear through intermediaries that any club looking to sign Rodrygo would have to pay a transfer fee of no less than €100m, approximately €120m.
This asking price deterred potential buyers.
Regardless, Rodrygo himself has always clearly stated that he is happy at Real Madrid. He is eager to prove his worth under new coach Xabi Alonso and is fully willing to continue staying at the Bernabéu.
