Man City Demand £70m for Rodri Amid Barcelona Negotiations

Manchester City have drawn a hard line in the sand over Rodri, telling Barcelona they will need to find £70 million if they want to prise the midfielder away this summer, according to The Times.

Barça thought they were close. An improved offer of £51.3m plus £5m in add-ons went in for the 30-year-old, a package widely expected to unlock the deal.

City didn’t blink.

The proposal was dismissed as “unacceptable”, and the message back to Catalonia was blunt: Rodri goes only if the full £70m valuation is met.

For Barcelona, it is a jolt. Their second bid had been framed as the decisive move, one that might finally tempt City into cashing in on a player entering the final year of his contract. Instead, the Premier League champions have raised the stakes and thrown the pressure back on the Spanish giants.

Rodri’s situation adds another layer. The Spain international, a cornerstone of City’s dominance, has no intention of extending his current deal, which runs out in June next year. That reality would usually weaken a club’s hand. City are acting as if it doesn’t.

They have reason to be stubborn. Rodri has been central to four Premier League titles and the 2022-23 Champions League triumph, the metronome and shield in front of the back line who turned Pep Guardiola’s side from slick to ruthless. Losing him would rip out the heart of their midfield.

Behind the scenes, City are already working on a potential succession plan. Enzo Fernandez has emerged as their preferred replacement, but Chelsea have planted their own flag in the ground. The London club value the Argentine at £120m and have told City they will only entertain a sale if that figure is met before 5pm on Friday.

That stance collides head-on with City’s recent spending. They have already broken their club record this summer, paying £116m to bring in Elliot Anderson. Matching Chelsea’s price for Fernandez on top of that would be a huge outlay, even for a club used to operating at the top end of the market.

So the negotiation game begins. City are unlikely to simply meet Chelsea’s demand and are expected to push for a lower fee, testing how firm that 5pm deadline really is.

All of it circles back to Rodri. Barcelona must now decide whether to stretch to £70m for a player who transforms their midfield, or hold their nerve and wait to see if City’s position softens as the clock ticks on his contract.

One club refusing to budge, another desperate for a midfield anchor, and a replacement who costs even more than the man he might succeed. Something will have to give before this window slams shut.