Following Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher publicly called on Manchester City to halt Rodri's transfer, arguing that the crushing defeat further proved the team needed to keep the Spanish midfielder.
Currently, Rodri is being pursued by Barcelona. Reports indicate that Barça submitted a second offer this week for the midfielder, exceeding £51 million. However, Manchester City values Rodri at at least £70 million. Despite the club's desire to extend the player's contract, Rodri's desire to leave is currently very strong.
With only one year remaining on his contract, Rodri was not included in Manchester City's squad for this Community Shield match. During the game, Carragher directly addressed Manchester City on social media: "Arsenal 3-0 up. Manchester City must keep Rodri."
Carragher's comments echoed the course of the game. Arsenal opened the scoring just 24 seconds after Calafiori, and Havertz followed with another goal in the first half. Just three minutes into the second half, Odegaard added a third goal for Arsenal, and Manchester City ultimately offered no resistance.
Ahead of the match, Manchester City manager Maresca also spoke about Rodri's future. He stated that as long as the transfer window remains open, the team cannot rule out any possibilities.
“First of all, it’s important to understand that the transfer window is still open. We can buy players, we can sell players, anything can happen,” Maresca said.
He revealed that he also saw Rhodes at the training base that day and spoke with him: "I gave him a big hug. He's in good shape. We'll have more time to communicate in the future, and we'll wait and see what happens."
With Rodri's contract entering its final year, Barcelona's pursuit continues, and whether Manchester City will choose to retain him or accept his departure will likely be a key point of interest in the final stages of the transfer window.
