Barcelona's Rodri Deal Reaches Critical Stage Amid Manchester City Standoff
Barcelona’s chase for Rodri has entered its decisive stretch. The move is still on track, but it is anything but closed.
Manchester City have already knocked back a second offer from the Catalan club: €60 million guaranteed, plus variables that could have taken the total package to €70 million. The Premier League champions are standing their ground. They want a fixed fee in the €70–80 million range for a player with just one year left on his contract.
Barça line up a ‘definitive’ proposal
According to SPORT, Barcelona believe they have already stretched themselves close to the limit. Their latest bid — €60 million fixed and €10 million in bonuses — went in on Wednesday and was rejected that same night. Even so, the door has not been slammed shut. Talks remain alive.
Inside the club, work has already shifted to what they consider their final offer. The plan is clear: push the fixed amount up to around €65 million, keep the variables at €10 million, and test City’s resolve one last time.
Those add-ons are structured in two blocks. Around €5 million is tied to relatively achievable targets. The other €5 million would be much harder to activate. It is a way for Barça to edge closer to City’s valuation without fully meeting the upper end of the English club’s demands.
Barcelona hope that this package, to be formally presented within hours, will finally tip the balance and secure an agreement before Rodri has to report back for pre-season in Manchester.
Rodri’s stance: no desire to go back to Manchester
Right now, Rodri is due back in Manchester on Friday. He would rather not get on that flight.
The midfielder’s preference is to travel straight to Barcelona if the clubs can close the deal in time. He knows how far Barça are stretching financially to sign him and has responded in kind, agreeing to concessions in his own contract.
Real Madrid had put more money on the table for him, but Rodri has turned away from that option. His choice is being driven by sporting and personal reasons, not by the highest salary. That commitment, and his request for City to ease his exit, could prove crucial as the talks hit their final phase.
City already planning for life after Rodri
Publicly, Manchester City maintain that they are prepared to keep Rodri for the final year of his contract. Their actions hint at a different story.
The club are active in the midfield market, working on deals for Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez, among others. Those moves would help cover the gap left by the Spain international if he does leave.
For Barcelona, this negotiation has been more demanding than first expected. The gap between the two clubs has narrowed, though, to the point where a breakthrough can come at any moment.
Now it is a question of who blinks first: City with their price, or Barça with their last push for the player who has already chosen them.
