Man City tight-lipped on Rodri transfer amid Barcelona and Real Madrid link

Manchester City manager ‌Enzo Maresca has remained tight-lipped about Rodri’s future amid speculation linking their Spain midfielder ⁠with a move to ⁠Barcelona, saying “anything can happen” before the transfer window closes.

The uncertainty comes the morning after an apparent picture of Rodri travelling on a budget Ryanair flight from Madrid to ⁠Liverpool went viral on social media, with the former Ballon d’Or winner spotted carrying a small suitcase bearing his name, national team flag and squad number.

Despite the speculation about the Madrid flight, it is understood that record La Liga winners, Real Madrid, have cooled their interest based on the financial weight required for the transfer.

“First of all, we already said the transfer ⁠window is open, we can buy and sell players, anything can happen,” Maresca told reporters on Friday ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield clash against Premier League champions Arsenal in Cardiff.

“I’ve just seen Rodri now in the building, I gave him a big hug, he looks good, so we’ll see what happens.”

Maresca confirmed the World Cup winner ‌is fit to return to training after undergoing back surgery at the end of July.

Asked if he was aware of reports that Chelsea had set a Friday deadline for bids for the London club’s Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez and whether that meant City would be doing any transfer business in the next 24 hours, Maresca smiled and said City will not make any new signings on Friday.

While talk of Rodri, a cornerstone of City’s success in recent seasons, potentially leaving ⁠the club has dominated the headlines, Maresca insisted his attention was on ⁠Sunday’s match rather than the transfer window.