Manchester City Reject Barcelona's Opening Bid for Rodri
Manchester City have turned down a first offer of £38.5m from Barcelona for Rodri, drawing a firm line in the sand over the future of the Ballon d’Or winner at the heart of their midfield.
City are prepared to sell, but not on the cheap. The Premier League champions value the 30-year-old at more than £60m, a figure they see as fitting for a player who, when fit, has been the metronome of their recent dominance.
Rodri is entering the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium and has not signed an extension. That ticking clock has turned a routine negotiation into one of the defining transfer stories of the summer.
From Madrid’s “irresistible” offer to Barcelona’s front seat
For months, the smart money had Rodri heading to Real Madrid. Fresh from lifting the World Cup with Spain and collecting the 2024 Ballon d’Or, the midfielder became the centrepiece of a charm offensive from the European champions.
According to Spanish radio network Cadena Ser, Real moved quickly. Talks began just days after Spain’s World Cup triumph, with the club hierarchy – from president Florentino Perez to chief executive Jose Angel Sanchez – personally involved. Rodri’s camp were said to be impressed by the courtesy, class and respect shown throughout negotiations.
Real Madrid, the report says, put what they believed was an “irresistible” package on the table and made it abundantly clear they were serious. Everything was lined up for a marquee signing.
Then came the twist.
Barcelona, initially cautious and publicly non-committal about their chances of doing a deal, received the green light from the player to open talks with City. Sources told BBC Sport on Thursday that Rodri had given his approval for negotiations, and by Friday the Catalan club had submitted their opening bid.
The move shifted the landscape. While Barca insiders had previously warned there were no guarantees, the situation has accelerated. Conversations with the player’s representatives are ongoing, and the rejected £38.5m offer is widely viewed as an opening gambit rather than a final throw.
Real, meanwhile, are out. Cadena Ser report that the club were informed on Friday of Rodri’s decision to accept another offer. In response, they chose to walk away, ending the process to avoid prolonging uncertainty and thanking the player for the respectful manner in which talks had been conducted.
The race, for now, belongs to Barcelona.
A superstar with scars
Rodri’s value is complicated by his recent fitness record. He missed much of the 2024-25 campaign with a serious knee injury, and the previous season was punctured by hamstring trouble. For a player who built his reputation on reliability and rhythm, those absences mattered.
When it counted most, though, he reappeared at full power. At the World Cup in the summer, Rodri was magnificent, dictating Spain’s tempo and driving them to a second world title. He left the tournament with the player of the tournament award and, later, the Ballon d’Or – a rare double that underlined his standing as the game’s premier midfield controller.
Right now, he is again on the treatment table. Back surgery last month has ruled him out of action, but he is scheduled to rejoin his City team-mates in Manchester early next week. His arrival back at the training ground will coincide with a critical phase of the window and could accelerate decisions on all sides.
City’s dilemma and the Bouaddi question
For City, the timing is brutal. Approaching the second week of August, Pep Guardiola’s side cannot afford to drift. If Rodri leaves, they need a replacement, and they need one quickly.
Talks are under way with Lille over 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, a player widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents in Europe. Lille’s stance is uncompromising: an asking price of £86m. That figure is a major obstacle and, for now, a sticking point in negotiations.
City must balance three pressures at once: extracting full value for a world-class midfielder in his final contract year, securing a successor capable of anchoring their midfield for the next decade, and maintaining stability in a squad that has grown used to Rodri’s presence as a constant.
Barcelona, for their part, see a rare opportunity. A Ballon d’Or-winning Spain international, potentially available at a discount to peak-market value because of contract length and injury history, fits perfectly with their need for a statement signing in the middle of the pitch.
The opening bid has been rejected. The lines are drawn. The next move – City’s valuation, Barcelona’s response, and Rodri’s final word – will decide whether the heartbeat of Guardiola’s midfield starts the new season in sky blue or in the colours of their old European rival.
