Manchester City Firm on Rodri Amid Barcelona Interest
Manchester City have drawn a hard line in the sand over Rodri – and Barcelona have just found out how hard.
The Spanish champions tested the water with an opening offer of around €45million (£38m) for the midfield lynchpin. Inside the Etihad, that figure went down badly. One source described it as “derisory”, and City’s stance reflects exactly that.
They want closer to €80m (£68.5m). Anything less and the conversation barely starts.
City dig in as Barca circle
Rodri’s wish to return to Spain has been an open secret for some time. For months, the smart money had him heading to Real Madrid. They were viewed as the natural destination, the club in pole position.
Then Barcelona arrived.
The Catalan side stepped into the race and quickly moved to the front of the queue in the player’s mind. Multiple outlets report that Rodri has already agreed personal terms with Barca. From his side, the decision is made.
But this is now a club-versus-club battle, and that is where the move is stuck.
City have accepted the reality that their midfield general wants out. What they have not accepted is losing him on the cheap. The rejected opening bid has triggered a clear response: Rodri is expected back in Manchester to continue his recovery from minor back surgery and will remain a City player unless Barcelona come back with a significantly improved proposal.
He has only one year left on his current deal, which might normally weaken a selling club. City are refusing to play that game. They believe his value remains at the top end of the market and are prepared to keep him for the final year rather than cash in at a discount.
Renewal on the table – and pressure on Barca
Inside the club, there is even talk of going the other way entirely. City are understood to be open to offering Rodri a new contract, a move that would both reward his importance under Pep Guardiola and protect their asset if he stays.
For now, though, the message is blunt: he does not leave for less than he is worth.
Barcelona, weighed down by well-documented financial constraints, have tried to find a way into the deal at their price. It has not worked. Yet they are not walking away.
David Ornstein has reported that City want around €75m, and that Barca intend to return with a new bid and remain optimistic, buoyed by the fact Rodri has already agreed terms on his side. From City’s perspective, the numbers communicated so far are “nowhere near” the figure required even to begin serious negotiations over a sale.
The pressure is now squarely on Barcelona’s hierarchy. Either they find a way to push much closer to City’s valuation, or they risk losing the midfielder their manager wants and the player himself has chosen.
Bouaddi deal moves as City plan for life after Rodri
While they stand firm publicly, City are not standing still behind the scenes.
Fabrizio Romano reports that negotiations with Lille for highly rated midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi are in the final stages, with an agreement between the clubs described as very close. Talks with the player’s camp are ongoing, but City expect to close the deal soon.
That move does not automatically mean Rodri is gone. It does, however, show City are already planning the next phase of their midfield, with Bouaddi likely the first piece of a broader rebuild.
For Barcelona, the equation is brutally simple now. If they truly want Rodri at the heart of their new project, they will have to pay Champions League prices, not bargain-basement ones.
