Manchester City Set £70 Million Price for Rodri Amid Barcelona Interest

Manchester City have drawn a hard line over Rodri’s future, telling Barcelona they will not sell their midfield lynchpin for anything less than £70 million, according to The Times.

Barça thought they were close. Their latest proposal – worth £51.3m plus £5m in add-ons – was an improved package aimed at finally breaking City’s resolve for the 30-year-old. Instead, it was dismissed out of hand. City branded the offer “unacceptable” and made it clear the price is non-negotiable: £70m or nothing.

Many around the deal expected the second bid to unlock an agreement. It didn’t. City’s stance has stunned some onlookers, not least because Rodri is edging towards the final year of his contract and has no intention of signing a new one, with his current deal due to expire in June next year.

This is not a fringe player they are haggling over. Rodri has been at the heart of City’s dominance, anchoring a side that has collected four Premier League titles and the 2022-23 Champions League during his time at the club. Letting him go now, on the eve of a contract stand-off, would normally signal a reset.

City, though, want that reset on their terms.

Their preferred replacement is clear: Enzo Fernandez. The treble winners are exploring a move for the Chelsea midfielder, but they have run straight into another brick wall. Chelsea value the Argentine at £120m and have told City – and any other suitors – that they will only entertain offers meeting that figure, and only if a deal is struck before 5pm on Friday.

The timing is tight. The numbers are huge. And City have already stretched themselves this summer, breaking their transfer record with a £116m move for Elliot Anderson. That outlay makes it highly unlikely they will simply bow to Chelsea’s £120m demand.

Negotiation now becomes the battleground. City are expected to push for a lower fee for Fernandez, testing Chelsea’s resolve as the self-imposed deadline looms. At the same time, Barcelona must decide whether to come back again for Rodri, this time closer to City’s £70m valuation, or sit tight and hope the midfielder’s contract situation forces a change in tone later in the window.

For now, the message from Manchester is blunt: Rodri only leaves on their terms, and the cost of replacing him will be just as unforgiving.