It was an incredibly news-worthy Tuesday at Manchester City Football Club. The club announced that defender Josko Gvardiol has signed a contract extension and also that midfielder Rodri underwent back surgery. Meanwhile John Stones is no longer with the club, as his contract has expired, but the club currently leading the race to sign him is Inter Milan, who City faces in a preseason friendly on Saturday.
Opening Preseason Friendly
Manchester City vs Inter Milan
Saturday, August 1, 2026, Kai Tak Stadium (Kai Tak Sports Park), Hong Kong
Kickoff Time: 7:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. UK BST / 7:30 a.m. U.S. ET)
Rodri
Rodri, 30, just enjoyed a very succesful summer, winning the World Cup with Spain. But now he’s set for a spell on the sidelines. How long he’ll be out is not known at this time
A statement issued by City on Tuesday read: “Manchester City can confirm Rodri has undergone successful minor back surgery.
“The midfielder had been feeling discomfort for some time but has now undergone a procedure to address the issue and will now begin a short period of rehabilitation.”
Rodri has certainly endured an injury-ravaged spell, over the past couple of seasons or so. Perhaps this procedure will get him right and more consistently available for selection.
Rodri, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid this summer, still has one year left on his City deal.
ESPN is reporting that City still hopes the midfield maestro will sign a new deal, and extend his stay.
John Stones
Speaking of injury-ravaged, Stones has certainly had a rough go of it, in that department. Given that they haven’t been able to reliably call upon him as much as they would like to, the club decided not to renew Stones’ deal. He only featured 18 times this past season, but recovered in time to play a key role for England, in their march to a third place finish in the World Cup.
According to ESPN FC, Inter are interested, so we’ll see what happens with this development, as the week progresses. This currently adds a level of intrigue to this weekend’s preseason opener against the Serie A side.
Although even if a deal gets done in time, it doesn’t mean he’ll be ready to feature against his former club.
Josko Gvardiol
“Little Pep,” who had been linked with moves to Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, has decided to stay put, inking a new deal that will keep him at the club until 2031. The official statement attributed to Gvardiol reads: “As soon as I knew City wanted to renew my contract, I felt straight away it was what I wanted.
“The City fans have been unbelievable with me from day one – and the club provide absolutely everything for players. It’s the best club in the world to be at.
“I have felt so much love and respect during my three years here and I don’t take that for granted.
“The players we have here are amazing. This is a world-class squad that is young and full of potential. I truly believe we will have a lot of success in the coming years.”
This comes on the heels of MCFC announcing a contracr extension for Abdukodir Khusanov three days ago.
As City transitions from Pep Guardiola to Enzo Maresca, the club will look to keep some key pieces in place, with the aim of having some stability to balance out all the change in the air.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.