Barcelona Intensifies Pursuit of Rodri Amid Crucial Talks with Manchester City

The Rodri saga has accelerated into the decisive stretch. What began as a cautious exchange between FC Barcelona and Manchester City has turned into a frantic negotiation, driven by a player who has made his intentions brutally clear.

Rodri has told City he wants Barcelona. Not Real Madrid, who sounded out the possibility and were turned down. The World Cup winner has chosen the Blaugrana, and both clubs now find themselves racing the clock to turn that desire into a deal.

Barcelona raise the stakes

Barcelona have now tabled their second offer, according to SPORT: a package worth €70 million in total. The structure is simple enough — €65 million fixed, plus €5 million in add-ons.

It marks a sharp rise from the opening bid of €50 million, which City rejected without hesitation. From England came a clear message: the Premier League champions would not consider a sale for less than around £70 million, roughly €80 million. The first proposal never stood a chance.

Talks, though, never broke down. Both clubs went into the weekend knowing a second offer was coming, one that would move closer to City’s demands without quite touching the reported asking price. That offer is now on the table.

City’s stance meets player power

Enzo Maresca publicly indicated he expected Rodri back in pre-season training, a line that underlined City’s strength in the market and their willingness to keep a cornerstone of their midfield.

Behind the scenes, the picture is more nuanced. Negotiations have continued at pace because neither side wants a drawn-out standoff when there is already broad agreement on one fundamental point: the player wants to go.

Barcelona’s new proposal still falls short of City’s valuation, but it narrows the gap enough to force a decision in Manchester. The expectation within the talks is that City will have to bend, at least slightly, if they are to avoid a summer dominated by a transfer tug-of-war with one of their most important players at the centre of it.

Clock ticking on a decisive 48 hours

Inside Barcelona, the message is straightforward: they want this wrapped up between today and tomorrow. The room for further negotiation is shrinking fast. Any changes now are likely to be minor tweaks rather than another major leap in the fee.

Rodri has already done his part. He has agreed a four-year contract with the La Liga champions and is pushing to complete the move as soon as possible. His aim is clear — avoid the flight back to Manchester, avoid the pre-season routine with a club he has told he wants to leave.

So the numbers are on the table. The will of the player is known. Barcelona have stretched, City have stood firm so far.

The next response from Manchester will decide whether this becomes one of the summer’s defining transfers or a high-profile deal that died just short of the finish line.