Man City have a 2027 contract issue they must address - and it's not Rodri

Manchester City midfielder Rodri's future has made headlines this week but one of his teammates is in greater limbo than him

Rodri brought his Manchester City future into the spotlight this week when he admitted he would like to return to La Liga one day. That won't have surprised City - many players wish to return to their home country after a long spell away.

However, what it will have done is bring Rodri's future into sharper focus for the Etihad Stadium decision makers. The Spaniard enters the final year of his contract in the summer and once January 2027 rolls around, he is free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a club outside England; so long as he hasn't agreed a new deal with City.

If Rodri's heart is set on leaving Manchester, he will either be sold in the summer or allowed to leave on a free at the end of the 2026/27 season. City won't draw out the process and make it painful.

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Either way, Rodri's future will be decided sooner rather than later now he has put the ball in City's court. One contract situation that should be addressed, but is currently going unnoticed, is Phil Foden's. The City academy graduate had well documented problems in 2024/25 as the toll of an international summer left the midfielder drained.

After a calmer post and pre-season at the Club World Cup, Foden returned looking rejuvenated. The first half of the campaign was more like the player City fans have come to expect. However, the goals did not start flowing regularly again until the end of November. Even so, the problems of the past seemed a distant memory.

However, the midfielder has not scored since the victory over Crystal Palace in December. In the second half of the season, the 25-year-old has found himself in a rut similar to the one he suffered post-Euro 2024.

Foden did not feature in either leg of the Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid with Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki preferred. The midfielder came on for a cameo appearance in the Carabao Cup final with the match already won.

A couple of years ago, it would have been unthinkable for Foden not to have meaningful contributions in these three matches, especially with Pep Guardiola in charge. But this is no longer a surprise and it leaves question marks surrounding what City do next.

Unlike Rodri, there is arguably nowhere Foden would rather be than Manchester. A local boy, playing for his boyhood club but City will not want to give the midfielder a new contract for sentimental purposes alone.

They want to see tangible improvements from Foden and perhaps the lure of a fresh new deal could bring that out of him. Now is the time where City must decide if they are to stick by one of their greatest academy products or not.

Sensationally, Foden has won a trophy with City every 20 games, having bagged 18 in 360 appearances. He did not play a small role in success either.

But, as Jack Grealish will attest to, once the form drops, City rarely give out second chances. They became the dominant force in the Premier League by knowing when the right time was to sell players.

City know when he is on form, there are few better than Foden. Whether that means he deserves to be an exception to the long-standing rule remains to be seen.

A player will always perform better when they have stability. Foden is no exception. So if City are to do what is right by the midfielder, they must address the contract situation and come to an agreement on where the two parties go from here.

If that means offering him a new contract or not, at least Foden knows where he stands and what he must do next