Manchester City Reject Barcelona's Opening Rodri Bid

Manchester City have rejected an opening £38.5m offer from Barcelona for Rodri, in a move that underlines just how hard it will be to prise the Ballon d'Or winner out of the Etihad.

City are prepared to sell, but not on the cheap. The Premier League champions want in excess of £60m for the 30-year-old, who is entering the final year of his contract and has yet to commit to fresh terms. With his deal running down and his body coming off a bruising year, the club face a delicate balance between maximising value and avoiding a free exit.

For months, the smart money had Rodri walking into the Bernabeu. Real Madrid moved quickly after Spain’s World Cup triumph, sensing an opportunity to add the tournament’s outstanding player to an already lavish midfield. Now the picture has flipped. Barcelona have stepped to the front of the queue, armed with the player’s approval to negotiate and, as of Friday, a formal bid on the table.

Barcelona move, Real Madrid walk away

The first contact came quietly. On Thursday, sources told BBC Sport that Barcelona had received the green light from Rodri to open talks with City. Within 24 hours, the Catalan club tested the waters with their initial £38.5m proposal.

Inside Camp Nou, there was early caution. Club figures briefed that nothing was guaranteed, that the numbers might not stretch far enough. Yet the speed with which an offer followed those conversations suggests momentum is building, even if the opening figure fell well short of City’s valuation.

Barcelona say they remain in active discussions with Rodri’s representatives and expect the dialogue with City to continue. The sense is of a club edging its way into a deal, rather than launching a knockout punch at the first attempt.

While Barça advanced, Real Madrid stepped aside. According to BBC sources, talks with the European champions have now ended. The shift was confirmed in Spain, where radio network Cadena Ser detailed how the Bernabeu hierarchy had thrown their weight behind an “irresistible” proposal shortly after Spain lifted the World Cup.

Florentino Perez, chief executive Jose Angel Sanchez, and the rest of the Real powerbrokers all pushed to get the transfer done. They put money, prestige and a clear sporting plan on the table. They made it obvious Rodri was not just another target, but a centrepiece.

It still wasn’t enough.

Cadena Ser report that, after two weeks of positive negotiations, Rodri chose another path. Real were informed of his decision on Friday and opted to shut down the process immediately, unwilling to let uncertainty linger. The club, the report adds, thanked the midfielder for the way he handled the talks.

So the stage is set. Barcelona in the driving seat, Real Madrid out of the race, and City holding firm on the price.

A star between injuries and glory

Rodri’s situation is as complex as his season. The 2024-25 club campaign largely passed him by after a serious knee injury, following on from a previous year hampered by a persistent hamstring issue. For long stretches, City had to cope without the metronome of their midfield.

Then came the summer, and everything changed.

At the World Cup, Rodri was majestic. He dictated games, shielded his defence, and stitched Spain’s play together with the authority of a player at the peak of his powers. Spain won their second world title; Rodri walked away with the Golden Ball and, later, the Ballon d'Or. From the treatment room to the summit of the game in a matter of months.

Right now, though, he is back on the medical bulletin. The midfielder is recovering from back surgery undergone last month and remains out of action. He is expected to rejoin his City team-mates in Manchester early next week, stepping into a squad that needs clarity on his future as much as it needs his presence on the pitch.

City’s clock is ticking

The calendar offers no mercy. The transfer window is heading into its second week of August, and City cannot afford to drift. If Rodri leaves, they must replace not just a holding midfielder, but the tactical brain of Pep Guardiola’s system.

Work has already started. Talks are under way with Lille over 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, a player viewed as one of the brightest young talents in Europe. Lille, though, are standing firm on an £86m asking price, a figure that currently stands as a major obstacle.

City know they cannot wait forever. Every day spent haggling over Rodri’s fee is a day lost in the hunt for a successor. Every training session he misses while his future hangs in the balance is another reminder of what might be leaving the building.

Barcelona, meanwhile, sense an opening. They have the player’s approval, an initial bid on record and a rival in Madrid who have already walked away. The question now is simple, and brutally decisive: will they pay what City demand for the man who just conquered the world?