Barcelona's Improved Offer for Rodri Reaches €60m
Barcelona have returned to the table with an improved offer of around €60m (£51m) for Rodri as the battle for Manchester City’s midfield anchor moves into a decisive phase.
Their first bid of €45m was dismissed instantly by City, but this latest proposal edges much closer to the English champions’ valuation of the 30-year-old, who captained Spain to World Cup glory and lifted the Ballon d’Or in 2024. With Rodri having made clear his preference for a move to the Camp Nou, the sense around the deal is no longer if, but when.
Barcelona close in, City line up Enzo Fernández
City, braced for the loss of the player who has been the heartbeat of their midfield, have turned their attention to Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández as a potential replacement. The problem is the price.
Chelsea value their captain at around £120m and are understood to be standing firm. Any agreement is likely to be heavily structured, with add-ons and performance-related clauses needed to bridge the gap between what City want to pay and what the west London club will accept.
Enzo Maresca is a strong admirer of Fernández after working with him for a season and a half at Chelsea before his dismissal in January. The 25-year-old was central to Maresca’s side that finished fourth in the Premier League, won the Europa Conference League in 2024-25 and lifted the Fifa Club World Cup last summer. Those achievements have only hardened Chelsea’s stance.
If City do push a deal over the line for the Argentina international, another midfielder is likely to be sacrificed. Tijjani Reijnders is viewed as a possible departure to make room in both the squad and the wage bill.
Leadership reshuffle at the Etihad
Rodri’s determination to join Barcelona has forced City to rethink the leadership core of their dressing room. Fernández, already Chelsea’s captain, would arrive not only as a technical replacement but as a senior voice, someone Maresca believes can set standards and bring a combative edge to City’s play in the centre of the pitch.
The move would continue a summer of heavy investment at the Etihad. City have already paid £116m to sign Elliott Anderson from Nottingham Forest and are close to completing an £85m deal for Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, underlining the scale of their rebuild.
Chelsea, anticipating the possibility of losing Fernández, have begun to explore replacements. They are thought to have enquired about Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, whose profile as a progressive, technically gifted midfielder fits the club’s recruitment model.
Rulli returns as Trafford exits
Amid the noise around Rodri and Fernández, City quietly confirmed another piece of business on Wednesday, announcing the signing of Gerónimo Rulli on a two-year contract following James Trafford’s move to Leeds.
The 35-year-old Argentina goalkeeper returns to a club he was previously registered with in 2016-17 and spoke of the need to integrate quickly.
“My job now is to train hard, get to know the players and staff and do everything I can,” Rulli said.
City’s summer is already expensive, already dramatic. If Rodri does walk away and Fernández is prised from Chelsea, the shape of their midfield – and perhaps the balance of power in both England and Spain – will look very different when the new season kicks off.
