Barcelona Push for Rodri as City Holds Firm
Barcelona are still on the road to signing Rodri, but the deal is not over the line yet. Far from it.
Manchester City have already knocked back a second offer from the Catalan club: €60 million guaranteed, with bonuses that could have taken the package to €70 million. City’s stance has not shifted. They want a fixed fee in the €70–80 million range for a player who, crucially, has just one year left on his contract.
Barça readying what they see as a final bid
According to SPORT, Barcelona believe they have already stretched their finances close to breaking point. The proposal of €60 million plus €10 million in variables went in on Wednesday and came straight back with a “no” from Manchester.
The talks, though, are very much alive.
Inside the club, executives are now shaping what they consider their definitive offer. The numbers being discussed: €65 million fixed, plus another €10 million in add-ons. Around €5 million of those variables would be relatively easy to activate. The other €5 million would require much more demanding conditions.
That structure could finally tempt City. Barcelona want the new bid on the table within hours, hoping to close an agreement quickly enough for Rodri to skip the trip back to Manchester altogether.
Rodri pushing to avoid Manchester return
For now, Rodri is scheduled to report back to Manchester on Friday. His preference is crystal clear: he wants that journey to be straight to Barcelona instead.
The midfielder is fully behind Barça’s efforts and has stepped in personally. He has already asked City to ease his exit because he wants to leave the Premier League, and he has made sacrifices on his own contract terms to help the move happen.
Rodri has turned down money that Real Madrid were willing to put on the table, a gesture that underlines how much this decision is driven by sporting ambition and personal conviction rather than pure salary.
His involvement, and the pressure he is applying behind the scenes, could be decisive as the negotiations enter their final stretch.
City quietly plan for life without their midfield anchor
Publicly, Manchester City maintain that they are happy to keep Rodri for the final year of his deal if no agreement is reached. Their transfer moves tell a different story.
The English champions are already working on midfield reinforcements, with talks ongoing for Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez. Those signings would help absorb the blow of losing one of the most influential midfielders in Europe.
For Barcelona, this has turned into a far more complicated operation than first imagined. The bargaining has been hard, the margins tight. Yet the gap between the clubs is now small enough that a breakthrough can arrive at any moment.
The clock is ticking. Will Rodri’s next flight land in Manchester or Barcelona?
