Barcelona's Pursuit of Rodri: Manchester City Prepares for Enzo

Barcelona keep pushing. Manchester City keep listening.

The Catalan club have now lodged a third bid for Rodri, their clearest statement yet that they see the Spain midfielder as the cornerstone of their rebuild. This latest offer takes the guaranteed fee to 70 million euros, a sizeable jump from the opening proposal of around 45 million and the second attempt that edged close to 65 million.

The numbers are rising, and so is the confidence in Barcelona’s corridors of power. At Camp Nou, the feeling is that the deal could be closed this weekend. Across the Channel, there is a similar mood: in Manchester, the expectation is that negotiations are heading towards an agreement rather than a breakdown.

For City, the equation is blunt. Selling Rodri would free up crucial room under Financial Fair Play and unlock the funds to move decisively for his successor. That succession plan already has a name at the top of the list: Enzo.

City’s domino effect: Rodri out, Enzo in?

Enzo Fernández remains the preferred option to step into the Etihad midfield if Rodri goes. The deadline Chelsea had tried to impose on the saga has passed, but the story is far from finished.

New City manager Enzo Maresca, who knows Enzo well from their time together at Chelsea, drew a firm line on Friday. City, he made clear, will not be dragged into a race against the clock set by another club. They will not play what he views as Chelsea’s deadline game.

Chelsea’s response has been equally firm. They want it understood that they control the situation. Enzo is under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2032, and the London club are determined to show they are under no pressure to sell.

So City wait. First, they need clarity on Rodri. Only once his future is resolved will they move back onto the Enzo track with full force.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has reported that City’s hierarchy have stayed in constant contact with Enzo’s representatives in recent days. The interest has not cooled. The channels remain open. But the landscape has subtly shifted.

On Friday, Chelsea had effectively left a door ajar, outlining clear conditions that resembled a de facto release clause. That door is no longer as inviting. City still want Enzo, yet they are now negotiating with a Chelsea that has tightened its stance and reasserted its leverage.

The core picture is the same: Barcelona pushing hard for Rodri, City eyeing Enzo as the heir. The detail, though, is different. If Barcelona finally land their man, City will have the cash and the need to strike. The question is simple, and it now hangs over the final weeks of the window:

How much are Manchester City truly prepared to pay to force open Stamford Bridge and bring the Argentine to the Etihad?