Manchester City have seen some big-name players leave the club in recent years.
More specifically, City have sold some of their players for significant transfer fees to other clubs.
For example, the most recent summer window saw the Blues sell Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for a club-record sale fee of £81m (via BBC Sport).
Even though this latest summer transfer window has now closed, a big name in Pep Guardiola’s ranks has recently found himself being linked with a big move away from the Etihad Stadium next year.
This has since led to a pundit and former Premier League player having his say on the situation.
- READ MORE: Who is Rodri? Get to know Man City’s modest midfield maestro who won a Champions League final
Darren Bent addresses Rodri to Real Madrid transfer rumours
Earlier this week, it was reported that Real Madrid are planning a move to sign Rodri in the 2025 summer transfer window.
This then led to Darren Bent saying this on the matter in a recent video shared on the talkSPORT YouTube channel.
He said: “He, in that position gets into any team in world football. He’s the best on the planet. He’s that good and when you’re dropping him into that team as well Real Madrid, I always thought it was a matter of time before they came after him.
“I mean, what is he only 28 years old? I like their midfield with the likes of [Aurelien] Tchouameni, [Eduardo] Camavinga, [Federico] Valverde plays in there.
“Imagine having Tchouameni, [Jude] Bellingham and Rodri. I mean Rodri is the guy that links everything together.
“He’s the most important player I think in any team and the fact now that they’re going after me, it just doesn’t surprise me. I fully expect it to happen at some stage.
“As long as Pep’s at Manchester City, I feel they will always be there or thereabouts and I think a lot depends as well Pep stays, I think Rodri stays as well because I think them two love working together.
“If Pep leaves at the end of the season, there is going to be a decision to make. But I think while he’s there, I think Rodri just stays where he is.”
A Rodri exit would be disastrous for City
Since shelling out £62m to sign the midfielder from Atletico Madrid back in 2019, City have seen Rodri become a vital player for the club.
With 257 appearances for the Blues under his belt, the 28-year-old has scored 26 goals, delivered 30 assists and won a plethora of trophies along the way.
After his recent return to the club, Ilkay Gundogan described Rodri as being irreplaceable for the team based on what he offers on the pitch.
In fact, out of the three Premier League matches he was unavailable for last season through suspension, those were the three league games City lost throughout the entire campaign.
Taking all of that on board, if Rodri were to join Real next summer, this would be nothing short of a disaster for City given how important he is for the team.
