Barcelona Intensifies Bid for Rodri Amid Manchester City Negotiations

Barcelona have cranked up their pursuit of Rodri with a third bid worth around €70million (£60m) – and for the first time, Manchester City can see the finish line.

The offer still falls short of City’s €80m (£68m) valuation, but the gap is shrinking. Fast.

Barca push again for City’s midfield general

Rodri, 30, is heading into the final year of his contract at the Etihad, five years on from his arrival from Atletico Madrid in 2019. In that time he has become the heartbeat of City’s era of dominance: four Premier League titles, a Champions League, two FA Cups and, crowning it all, the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

Now, with Pep Guardiola gone at the end of last season, the possibility of another pillar of that dynasty walking away is very real.

Barcelona tested the water earlier this month with an opening bid of £38.5m. City barely blinked before rejecting it. The Catalan club came back again with a second offer in the region of €60m (£51m), which was also turned down.

The third proposal, at around €70m, marks a clear escalation. It still isn’t enough on its own, but it has changed the mood.

City set their price, Barca close in

City sources have indicated they now expect a deal to be wrapped up in the coming days, as long as Barcelona can push the overall package – including bonuses and add-ons – up to the €80m mark.

The structure is key. With performance-related clauses and achievable add-ons, the two clubs are now much closer to common ground, and there is growing belief on all sides that an agreement will be struck.

City had laid down one firm condition earlier in the summer: if no deal was in place before pre-season, Rodri had to report back to Manchester. He did exactly that, returning to England while talks carried on in the background.

Rodri’s camp steps into the spotlight

Behind the scenes, Rodri’s representatives have moved from observers to active players in the negotiations. City made it clear they expected the player’s camp to help Barcelona edge nearer to the required figure, and that is now happening.

Rodri remains determined to make the move to Camp Nou. His agents are working in tandem with Barcelona, searching for a package that satisfies City without breaking the Catalans’ carefully managed budget.

For Barca, this is not just another signing. They want a 6ft 3in defensive midfielder who has already proved he can anchor a side at the very top of European football, and who returned strongly last season after a serious knee injury. He also arrives as a freshly crowned World Cup winner with Spain this summer, adding another layer of pedigree to a stacked CV.

Deal edging towards the line

Barcelona’s latest bid is another significant step towards City’s asking price. The expectation now is that further talks will chip away at the remaining difference over the next few days.

For the moment, Rodri is still a Manchester City player, training in sky blue and tied to a club where he has achieved almost everything. But the numbers are moving, the conversations are intensifying, and the transfer that once felt improbable is edging closer to reality.

If Barcelona find that final €10m, one of the defining midfielders of City’s golden era could soon be walking out at Camp Nou instead of the Etihad.