Manchester City Reject Barcelona's £38.5m Rodri Bid

Manchester City have turned down a £38.5m opening offer from Barcelona for Rodri, setting the stage for one of the summer’s most intriguing transfer battles.

City are prepared to cash in on the 30-year-old, but not on the cheap. Any deal will take more than £60m, a firm stance for a player entering the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium and yet to commit to fresh terms.

For months, the script seemed written. Rodri to Real Madrid after a World Cup-winning summer, a Ballon d'Or in his hands and a midfield dynasty waiting for him at the Bernabeu. That path has now closed.

Barcelona have surged to the front of the queue.

Barcelona step in as Real walk away

On Thursday, sources told BBC Sport that Barcelona had secured Rodri’s approval to open negotiations with City. Less than 24 hours later, the Catalan club tested the waters with their first formal bid. City’s response was immediate: rejected.

Inside Barca, there had been caution. Early briefings suggested no guarantees, no promises that a deal could be pushed over the line in a market where every euro is scrutinised. Yet the picture has shifted. The club confirmed on Friday that talks with the player’s representatives are ongoing, and their opening offer soon followed.

The momentum has swung their way off the pitch as well. BBC sources say Real Madrid have now ended their pursuit after being informed of Rodri’s decision to accept another offer.

For a club that rarely loses out when it truly wants a player, that is a significant line in the sand.

Inside Real Madrid’s failed push

Spanish radio network Cadena Ser, speaking directly to Rodri’s agent Pablo Barquero, painted the picture of a full-scale Real Madrid charm offensive.

Talks began just days after Spain’s World Cup triumph, when Rodri had just been named player of the tournament and had driven his country to a second world title. According to the report, Real made what was described as an “irresistible” proposal, backed from the very top of the club.

President Florentino Perez, chief executive Jose Angel Sanchez, and the club’s hierarchy all pushed to make the move happen. They stressed their respect for the player, their seriousness, their desire to build around him.

Everything, Cadena Ser say, was placed on the table. Yet the answer was still no.

Rodri has made a personal decision to go in a different direction. Real were informed on Friday and, not wanting to drag the story out, chose to walk away while thanking the player for the way negotiations had been handled.

In a market often driven by brinkmanship, this was a clean break.

City’s dilemma: replace a Ballon d’Or winner

On the pitch, Rodri’s recent story has been more complicated than his trophy cabinet suggests.

He missed much of the 2024-25 campaign with a serious knee injury and saw parts of the previous season disrupted by a hamstring problem. Yet when it mattered most, he re-emerged at the World Cup as the dominant midfielder of his generation, driving Spain through the tournament and collecting the Ballon d'Or in the aftermath.

That version of Rodri – the one who dictates games, sets the rhythm, and smothers danger before it develops – is the one City must now plan to replace if a deal is struck.

For now, he is not even on the training pitch. The midfielder is recovering from back surgery undergone last month and is due to rejoin his City team-mates in Manchester early next week. His physical return will coincide with an urgent push to resolve his future.

The calendar adds pressure. As the window heads into its second week of August, City cannot afford to drift. Lose Rodri late in the window and the champions risk scrambling for solutions in a market that punishes desperation.

Bouaddi talks underline City’s urgency

City’s recruitment department is already working on the next step. Talks are under way to sign 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, a player viewed as one for the present and the future.

Lille, though, are holding firm. Their £86m asking price is a major obstacle and underlines how expensive it will be for City to reshape their midfield in a single summer.

The contrast is stark. A 30-year-old Ballon d'Or winner with one year left on his contract and a price tag north of £60m. An 18-year-old prospect with a valuation even higher. City must decide where to draw the line, and how much of Rodri’s influence can realistically be replaced.

Barcelona, meanwhile, have made their first move. It was not enough. The next one will have to bite.