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Bid rejected, talks continue
Manchester City rejected Barcelona’s opening bid for Rodri, with reports putting the offer at £38.5 million, and City were said to want about £68 million for the World Cup winner.
“City are open to selling the Spaniard, but would demand more than £60m.”
The BBC said City rejected an opening offer of £38.5m from Barcelona and would demand more than £60m, while noting Rodri enters the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium.
Barcelona then prepared to improve their offer after the rejection, with Fabrizio Romano saying City rejected an offer worth €45 million plus another €5 million in add-ons.
The BBC added that the offer was made on Friday and that talks with Real Madrid had ended, while Barcelona’s sources told the BBC there were no guarantees any deal would be made at first.
Rodri’s situation was framed as a race against time in the transfer window, with Sky Sports reporting that talks over a deal had halted after City knocked back an initial offer considered far too low.
Rodri’s preference and Maresca
As Barcelona pushed to move ahead of Real Madrid, Sky Sports reported that sources in Spain believe Rodri would prefer a move to Barcelona over Real Madrid, while City did not want to sell him for a bargain price.
The BBC said Rodri missed much of the 2024-25 campaign after sustaining a serious knee injury, and it described him as the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner who led Spain to their second title and was named player of the tournament at the World Cup.
City manager Enzo Maresca sought to dampen the noise, telling reporters, "We have to say that around big players there are always speculation. I'm not worried about that, it's normal," after the World Cup win.
Flashscore also quoted Maresca’s stance that Rodri needs to rest and recover after surgery, with the midfielder scheduled to link back up with his City team-mates in Manchester early next week.
In parallel, the BBC reported that Rodri’s agent, Pablo Barquero, was quoted by Cadena Ser as saying Real Madrid made Rodri an "irresistible" offer shortly after Spain's World Cup triumph.
Dream move sealed in Barcelona
After the earlier rejection of Barcelona’s opening bid, Rodri arrived in Barcelona to complete what he called a dream move, telling journalists at the airport on Monday, "Of course, playing for FC Barcelona is a dream," as he prepared for a medical.
“"Of course, playing for FC Barcelona is a dream,"”
The BBC reported that Barcelona agreed to pay City about £65m and that Rodri would sign a four-year contract with the La Liga champions, following City’s rejection of the £38.5m opening offer.
AP reported that Barcelona agreed to a deal worth 76.5 million euros ($88.5 million), and said Rodri would undergo a medical as Barcelona and City exchanged documentation to finalize the agreement.
Rodri’s arrival was described as coming after he helped Spain secure its second World Cup title last month and won the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s best player, with his one year left on his contract at City.
The BBC also said Rodri leaves City having won 12 major honours, including four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three EFL Cups and the Champions League in 2022-23, as he set his sights on winning "the Champions League and everything else that comes our way" with Barca.
