Real Madrid election result ends Haaland threat but Rodri's City future stays unresolved

Florentino Perez’s re-election as Real Madrid president has removed the most immediate threat to Erling Haaland’s future at Manchester City, after his opponent Enrique Riquelme — who had publicly promised to sign the Norwegian striker — was defeated with 35.2% of the vote to Perez’s 64.8%.

Riquelme had claimed during his campaign that Haaland “has a release clause and would like to join Real Madrid”, a statement City flatly rejected. The club issued a pointed response: “The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue. There is no chance of this happening, and there is no contractual clause to enable it. We are considering legal action for the use of our player image in this context.”

Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, and his agent, Rafaela Pimenta, added their own joint denial, saying: “All very entertaining but NOT true. We wish all the best for both candidates in the Real Madrid elections.”

With Perez back in power, attention turns to where the club will direct its spending. The returning president is understood to have promised a club-record offer of at least £130 million for a player on Tuesday — but that target is believed to be Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise, not Haaland or Rodri.

The situation surrounding Rodri is more complicated. Riquelme had also claimed to have spoken with the midfielder’s agent, Pablo Barquero, about a potential move to the Bernabéu, saying: “If I’m president, he will play for Madrid, I will do everything possible.” City and Rodri’s camp offered no direct rebuttal to those specific claims.

Rodri will enter the final year of his City contract this summer. The club has made multiple extension offers, and there is reported internal confidence that he will stay — but no agreement has been signed. The Spain international has said he will not address his future until after the World Cup, telling reporters upon joining the national squad: “I understand there might be some noise, but for me, I’m obviously going to focus on the World Cup. I’m not going to dedicate my time to that, and then after the World Cup, let’s see.”

Perez, for his part, was non-committal when asked about Rodri in March, suggesting no concrete approach is imminent from the Spanish side. For now, City have clarity on Haaland — but the question of Rodri’s long-term commitment remains open.