Manchester City Rejects £55m Barcelona Bid for Rodri Amid Transfer Saga
Manchester City have knocked back a fresh £55m offer from Barcelona for Rodri, drawing a firm line in a transfer saga that shows no sign of slowing.
Barca’s latest proposal, an increase on last week’s rejected bid of around £40m, still falls short of City’s valuation. The Premier League champions want upwards of £60m for the 30-year-old, who has entered the final year of his contract.
Barcelona are not walking away. Far from it. The Catalan club remain intent on prising Rodri out of the Etihad and are weighing up their next move as talks continue between the clubs.
City’s stance is clear. They do not want to sell Spain’s World Cup-winning captain and would prefer to tie him down to a new deal. Inside the club, Rodri is seen as a pillar of the side, not a tradeable asset.
There is, however, one caveat. If Rodri formally asks to leave, City are not expected to block his exit. The ball, in many ways, sits at the midfielder’s feet.
Reijnders talks with Al Qadsiah
While Rodri dominates the headlines, another key midfield story is unfolding in the background.
City are in advanced and positive discussions with Saudi Arabian side Al Qadsiah over the sale of Tijjani Reijnders in a deal worth around £51.3m (€60m). The Saudi club view Reijnders as a world-class, peak-age addition to anchor their midfield ahead of their first Asian Champions League campaign.
The ambition in Qadsiah’s project is obvious. They are preparing to move into their new Aramco Stadium and want a marquee presence in the centre of the pitch to match their off-field growth.
If Reijnders completes his move and Barcelona eventually succeed with Rodri, City could lose two central midfielders in the same window. That scenario would trigger a rapid rebuild in the middle of the park.
City eye reinforcements
Planning has already started. City are looking at bringing in as many as two midfielders, with concrete interest in Enzo Fernandez and Ayyoub Bouaddi.
The picture is simple but stark: hold firm on Rodri, negotiate hard on Reijnders, and be ready to pivot quickly in the market.
For a club that has built its era of dominance on control in midfield, this window could define what the next version of Manchester City looks like.
