Real Madrid have received a €150m offer from Manchester City for Star player, with the Brazilian the club’s top transfer target. The 15-time Champions League winners don’t want to sell, though. Real Madrid is requesting £200m for them to release him.

The story of Rodrygo and Manchester City has suddenly become one of the most dramatic transfer sagas in European football, a saga filled with tension, ambition, disbelief, and power. It began like a whisper, just a soft rumour sliding through the corridors of power at the Etihad Stadium and the Bernabeu, but the whisper kept growing louder until it exploded into the biggest headline in world football. Manchester City, the club that has spent years building a reputation for making impossible things happen, has now placed a stunning €150m offer on the table for Real Madrid’s brilliant Brazilian forward Rodrygo. It is a move that shows the hunger of a European champion who refuses to allow their dynasty to fade, no matter how expensive the cost. It is also a move that forces Real Madrid to look at one of their most gifted players and decide what the future truly means for them. And in the middle of everything stands Rodrygo, a player who has given his heart to the Spanish giants but suddenly finds himself the target of one of the most powerful football projects ever created.
Every transfer story has a beginning, but this one started long before the bid was sent. Manchester City had been monitoring Rodrygo for months quietly, studying his movements, watching his growth, and identifying the weaknesses in their own squad that he could fix. Pep Guardiola has always been a manager who sees football like a chessboard, and he knows that every piece must be perfect. For years, he has searched for players with the unique blend of speed, technique, intelligence, and versatility. In Rodrygo, he saw everything he needed. A winger who can dribble like a street footballer, finish like a striker, and link play like a midfielder. A player who plays on both wings, who can drift into the centre, who can create magic inside tight spaces, and who still has years ahead of him. It is no surprise that Guardiola, who has built entire dynasties around footballers with rare qualities, has placed Rodrygo at the top of his transfer list.
Manchester City truly believes Rodrygo is the future. They are not only planning for next season; they are planning for the next five years, the next ten years, and the next generation of football. Pep knows his squad must evolve constantly, especially with uncertainty surrounding some key players. But even with all the brilliance that currently exists in his squad, the club feels something is missing. There is a desire for someone who can bring unpredictability, someone who can take responsibility in tight games, someone who can produce something special when tactics alone are not enough. City believes Rodrygo fits that description perfectly, and that is why they have sent a bid so huge that it shakes the transfer market.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, has always been known as a club that buys stars, not a club that sells them easily. They are the kings of Europe, and they do not like being challenged. They do not like being pressured. They do not like being told what to do, especially when it concerns a player who is seen as part of their next era. Rodrygo has been one of their most important young stars, a player who showed bravery in Champions League nights, who scored important goals, who delivered assists at crucial moments, and who never complained about competition from big names. Real Madrid does not see him as a player they can replace easily. They see him as a player who represents their present and their future, a player who is still only twenty-three years old but already has more than two hundred games for the biggest club in the world.
So when Manchester City placed their €150m offer on the table, Real Madrid did not see it as an opportunity. They saw it as a challenge. They saw it as a test of their authority. They saw it as a moment where they had to decide whether money or identity was more important. At first, the club’s reaction was simple: they do not want to sell. Not for €150m. Not for €200m. Not for any amount of money. Because Madrid believes some players are not just individuals; they are part of the soul of the club. Rodrygo, in their eyes, is one of those players.
But football is never simple. It is filled with pressure, politics, emotions, and unexpected forces. Money always has a voice. Ambition always has a voice. Players always have a voice too. And in this case, the voice became louder when reports emerged that Rodrygo had appeared on the radar of not only Manchester City but also Liverpool and Arsenal. The Premier League, which has become the most powerful league in the world, has been watching him closely. Every big club knows that Rodrygo is one of the brightest attackers in Europe. The moment Madrid showed even a hint of vulnerability, the biggest clubs began preparing.
Manchester City is not just any club, and their offer is not just a number. €150m is a statement. It says they are willing to break Premier League history. It says they are willing to break their own traditions. It says they want Rodrygo to lead the next generation of attackers at the Etihad. It also shows that City is preparing for a future where Erling Haaland’s situation is not guaranteed. Haaland has long been linked to Real Madrid, and rumours suggest Madrid will try to sign him one day. City knows they must prepare for every possibility. They do not want a moment where they are caught without firepower. Rodrygo becomes plan A, plan B, and plan C when it comes to rebuilding and reinforcing their forward line.
Rodrygo’s ability makes this transfer even more dramatic. With 229 appearances for Real Madrid, fifty-seven goals scored, and forty-three assists delivered, he has already built a profile that most players dream of at thirty. But he is only twenty-three. That is what makes him a treasure. He plays on the right wing, the left wing, and as a false striker. He dribbles with sharpness. He finishes with calm confidence. He plays with maturity that surprises people who forget his age. He has played big games. He has survived the pressure of Madrid. He has delivered in the Champions League. These are qualities that make him expensive, and qualities that make Guardiola desperate to bring him into his team.
The problem is that the deal is far from simple. Negotiations with Real Madrid are never easy, but this time they are almost impossible. Madrid believes Rodrygo should not be sold under any conditions. They believe he will soon become one of the best players in the world. They believe he can be part of a long-term project with Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, and other young talents. So when Manchester City came with their offer, Madrid simply refused to consider it. They see Rodrygo as a symbol of their future, and they are prepared to fight for him.
But football stories never end with one refusal. City is not backing down either. The club is not making this offer out of desperation; they are making it because they truly see Rodrygo as a player who can change their future. Sources close to the club say that City has been searching the market for winger options. They have already recruited Savinho. They have Phil Foden, who is improving every season. They have Jeremy Doku, who brings speed and chaos. They have Jack Grealish, who brings control and creativity. Yet despite all this talent, the club wants another world-class winger. Someone who can combine all these strengths. Someone who can elevate the team even further. Rodrygo is that ideal profile.
City’s scouting team has been monitoring La Liga carefully, and it is said that Barcelona’s Raphinha was also high on the list. Raphinha, with ten goals and nine assists in fourteen matches, has been one of Barcelona’s most important players. But Barcelona’s financial problems and their unwillingness to sell to a direct rival make the negotiation complicated. Even with Raphinha as an option, City continues to place Rodrygo at the top of the list. They believe he has something unique, something rare, something that can make him a superstar under Guardiola.
Meanwhile, Rodrygo himself has remained calm publicly. Over the summer, he insisted he was happy at Madrid. He said he had no intention of leaving. He said he was living his dream. He said he had a contract until 2028. These words were powerful, but football can change faster than players expect. Sometimes a player does not think about leaving until a club like Manchester City approaches them. Sometimes a player begins to imagine a different challenge, a new chapter, a chance to be a focal point rather than part of a collective. Sometimes players want new experiences. Sometimes they want new managers. Sometimes they want new dreams. Whether Rodrygo feels that way or not remains unclear, but City’s offer will force him to think.
As the drama continues, City is also exploring other options, including two Bundesliga talents for future midfield reinforcement. They are thinking about replacing Kevin De Bruyne, who has reached the stage of his career where the club must consider the next generation. City wants to rebuild, reshape, and re-energize the squad while staying at the top. That is why the Rodrygo story is not just about one player; it is about City’s identity, their hunger, and their long-term project.
This saga is far from finished. Madrid does not want to sell. City does not want to walk away. Rodrygo is in the middle, silent but central to everything. Liverpool and Arsenal are watching. The world is watching. And every moment that passes increases the tension. Will Real Madrid bend to the pressure? Will City increase the offer? Will Rodrygo remain loyal? Will the transfer world witness a new record? No one knows yet, but one thing is certain: this is one of the biggest stories in football, and it is only beginning.















