Manchester City open blockbuster contract talks with Rodri following Ballon d’Or presentation | OneFootball

Premier League champions Manchester City have reportedly opened talks with their Ballon d’Or winner Rodri over a new contract at the Etihad Stadium at the weekend.

The Spaniard made a return to the Etihad Stadium and the club’s City Football Academy training centre over the weekend for the first time since leaving the country for Madrid in order to undergo surgery on a double knee injury.

That took place following anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus damage sustained in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal earlier this season, forcing Rodri to come to terms with being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.

Nevertheless, there have been plenty of reasons for the Spaniard to be happy following the injury, in what has already been a hugely successful year for him, having become the first defensive midfielder since 1990 to claim the Ballon d’Or award.

And that historic achievement led to an invitation from his club employers to return to the Etihad Stadium for a blockbuster homecoming in front of the Manchester City faithful where the illustrious individual prize was presented to over 55,000 supporters.

But that was not the sole reason behind the trip it seems, with a new report detailing City’s intentions away from celebrating Rodri’s remarkable achievement, and more centred around recognising his performances for the club since arriving in 2019.

As per the information of Manchester City insider ‘Tolmie’s Hairdoo’ on X, officials at the Premier League champions opened talks with Rodri about an extension to his present contractual agreement with the club over the course of the last weekend.

Those conversations follow up the success in tying down Pep Guardiola to a new two-year contract at the club, with the Catalan’s former agreement due to expire at the end of the ongoing 2024/25 season.

Manchester City are also likely to seek out an agreement with Erling Haaland over a new and improved contract, with the feeling in some quarters being that initial dialogue between all parties has gone well and there being hope over a contract being signed in the near future.

Rodri and Haaland are among a long list of names whose contracts expire in the summer of 2027, alongside Pep Guardiola following his new deal, meaning Txiki Begiristain and the incoming director of football, Hugo Viana certainly have their work cut out.