Manchester City Rejects £55m Barcelona Bid for Rodri

Manchester City have pushed back again. Barcelona have returned with a £55m offer for Rodri – and City have rejected it.

The Catalan club saw an opening proposal of around £40m knocked back last week. They came back stronger, as expected, raising the bid into the bracket City had been warned about: between £50m and £60m. Still not enough.

City value the 30-year-old well beyond that figure and are seeking upwards of £60m for a player who has entered the final year of his contract. Talks between the clubs remain active, but the stance at the Etihad is clear: Rodri is not for sale on the cheap, and ideally not for sale at all.

Inside City, the plan is to keep Spain’s World Cup-winning captain and tie him to a new deal. They see him as central to their next cycle, not a cash-out opportunity. Yet there is one caveat. If Rodri formally asks to leave, City are prepared not to block his exit, provided their valuation is met.

For Barcelona, the chase continues. Determined to land a controlling midfielder of Rodri’s calibre, they are now weighing up their next move, knowing the price – and the negotiating position – have both been set.

Reijnders talks with Al Qadsiah add to City’s midfield dilemma

While Rodri’s future dominates the headlines, another midfield story is quietly gathering pace.

City are in advanced and positive discussions with Saudi Arabian side Al Qadsiah over the sale of Tijjani Reijnders. The proposed deal is worth around £51.3m (€60m), a significant fee for a player Qadsiah regard as world-class and at his peak.

The Saudi club are gearing up for their first Asian Champions League campaign and want Reijnders to anchor a strengthened midfield. Their ambition stretches beyond the pitch too, with a move into the new Aramco Stadium on the horizon. Reijnders is a statement signing for that project.

For City, it raises the stakes. Lose Reijnders and potentially Rodri in the same window, and the heart of their midfield suddenly looks exposed.

They are already planning for that scenario. City want to bring in as many as two central midfielders, with concrete interest in Enzo Fernandez and Ayyoub Bouaddi. Both would represent different profiles and ages, but together they would help rebuild a department that could change dramatically in a matter of weeks.

So City stand firm on Rodri, talk numbers on Reijnders, and scan the market for replacements. One window, two possible departures, and a midfield that could define what comes next for the champions.