Rodri’s Barcelona transfer remains unresolved after Manchester City rejected a second €60 million plus variables offer from the Catalan club. Negotiations between the two sides continue, with Barcelona preparing what they describe as their definitive proposal in hopes of finalising a deal before the midfielder’s scheduled return to Manchester on Friday.
Barcelona’s revised bid and City’s standing demand
According to SPORT, Manchester City have consistently rejected Barcelona’s overtures, most recently turning down the €60 million fixed plus €10 million in variables package late Wednesday. The Premier League champions continue to demand a fixed fee between €70–80 million despite Rodri having only twelve months remaining on his current deal.
Barcelona believe they have now reached the ceiling of their financial flexibility. Their incoming offer—expected to arrive within hours—will pitch €65 million fixed plus €10 million in variables, a structure designed to bridge the gap between the clubs. Of those variables, roughly €5 million would be routinely achievable through standard performance clauses, while the remaining €5 million would prove considerably harder to trigger.
How Rodri’s stance strengthens Barcelona’s hand
The midfielder has actively facilitated Barcelona’s pursuit, requesting that Manchester City ease his departure and explicitly ruling out a return to the Etihad. Rodri has made contractual concessions to secure the move, voluntarily accepting terms below what Real Madrid had offered him—a decision rooted in sporting and personal preference rather than financial maximisation.
That willingness to sacrifice earnings demonstrates the depth of his commitment to joining Barcelona, a factor that could prove instrumental in pushing negotiations toward completion. Rodri’s involvement in the final stages may ultimately prove decisive.
City’s transfer market signal and timeline pressure
Despite public statements suggesting contentment with keeping Rodri through his final contracted year, Manchester City’s recent recruitment activity tells a different story. The club are actively negotiating for midfield reinforcements, including Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernández, indicating they are already preparing contingency plans for his departure.
Barcelona’s negotiating team regards the remaining distance between the two proposals as sufficiently narrow for resolution. The critical window is Friday—if no agreement materialises, Rodri will return to Manchester, complicating the push toward a swift resolution and extending the uncertainty into the final weeks of the summer window.
