Barcelona's Pursuit of Rodri Stalled by City's £68.5m Price Tag

Barcelona have opened their pursuit of Rodri with a bold move – and been sent straight back to the drawing board.

An opening bid of £38.6million for the Manchester City midfielder has been rejected out of hand, with the Premier League champions making it clear they value the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner at closer to £68.5m. The gap is so wide that City do not currently see any reason to even enter serious club-to-club negotiations.

For now, it is a non-starter. But it is not going away.

Barcelona push, City resist

Barcelona are expected to return with a second offer for the former Atletico Madrid anchor, whose future has become one of the defining stories of the summer. They see him as the ideal pillar for a remodelled midfield, and as the man to steady the side while Frenkie De Jong recovers from serious injury.

Rodri, 30, has only one year left on his City contract, a detail that would usually embolden suitors. Real Madrid had been confident of capitalising on that situation and believed they were well placed to strike a deal before Barcelona arrived at the table.

The dynamic has changed quickly.

Rodri is understood to favour a move to Barcelona over any other destination, despite Madrid’s interest. His long-stated desire to return to La Liga now has a sharper edge, with City undergoing seismic change after the departure of long-serving manager Pep Guardiola. With the Guardiola era closed, the midfielder is keen to move on this summer.

A reshaping City, a waiting Barcelona

City’s stance is hardened by their own planning. They have already acted in midfield, paying £116m to bring Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, a move that gives them cover and leverage as they deal with Rodri’s situation.

They are also heavily linked with Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, who caught the eye for Morocco at the World Cup, underlining a clear intention to refresh the heart of their side rather than be forced into a corner by contract timelines.

Rodri, meanwhile, is working his way back to full fitness after minor back surgery following the World Cup. He is expected to return before the end of the month, a timeline that suits Barcelona, who view him as the long-term reference point in midfield and the short-term solution to a major problem.

De Jong tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee in July and is expected to miss the start of the 2026/27 season. For a club that has built so much of its recent structure around the Dutchman’s ability to dictate tempo, losing him for such a crucial stretch has accelerated the need for a marquee signing in the pivot.

The tug-of-war ahead

So the stage is set: a player who wants La Liga, two Spanish giants circling, and an English champion that refuses to be rushed or lowballed.

Barcelona will come again. They have to, if they are serious about Rodri as the cornerstone of their next cycle. City, armed with a strong valuation and fresh midfield recruits, can afford to wait.

The question now is simple: who blinks first in a summer that could reshape the centre of the pitch for both clubs?