Barcelona's Struggle to Secure Rodri as City Stand Firm
Barcelona have run straight into Manchester City’s resolve over Rodri, and for now, there’s only one winner.
Over the past few hours, the Catalan club have tested the waters with a 50 million euro offer for the midfielder. City didn’t blink. The proposal was rejected outright, with no room for negotiation at that level.
Spanish outlet Sport reports that Barça are prepared to edge that figure up to 60 million euros in an attempt to tempt the Premier League champions into talks for a player widely regarded as the standout performer at the 2026 World Cup. It still isn’t close.
City, who see Rodri as the heartbeat of their side and the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, are treating the approach as nowhere near serious. Relations between the clubs remain good, but sentiment has no place in this deal. From Manchester’s side, the message is clear: this is not a cut‑price sale.
According to Marca, any agreement between the two European heavyweights is currently “out of reach”. City have fixed their valuation at 70 million euros for the 30‑year‑old, and they are refusing to entertain anything below that threshold. The logic is simple: replacing a player of Rodri’s influence will cost far more than they receive.
That replacement search already has names and numbers attached. Morocco international Ayoub Bouaddi of Lyon sits prominently on City’s shortlist, with his fee expected to go beyond 100 million euros — AS even puts the figure at around 130 million. Enzo Fernández at Chelsea is another serious option. Targets of that calibre do not come cheap, and it explains why City are digging in over Rodri’s price.
Barcelona, for their part, have little appetite for meeting the English club’s demands. The gap between 60 and 70 million euros is not enormous on paper, but in the current financial landscape at the Camp Nou, it feels like a chasm. The coming days will bring a key moment: a scheduled meeting between sporting directors Hugo Viana and Deco, where the numbers — and the reality — will be laid bare.
Inside Barcelona, the hope had been simple and optimistic: Rodri would return on Wednesday, not to Manchester, but effectively to his spiritual home, to resume training in the colours where he once developed. That scenario now looks increasingly remote.
Unless Barça can somehow drive down the asking price and move swiftly in the hours ahead, the midfielder is expected to report back to Manchester to restart pre‑season under Pep Guardiola’s orders.
For now, City hold the cards. The question is whether Barcelona can find a way — financially and strategically — to prise even one of them from their grip before the window closes.
