Barcelona Pursues Rodri as Manchester City Holds Firm on Pricing
Rodri’s anticipated transfer to Barcelona is progressing, though it remains incomplete.
Manchester City has declined Barcelona’s second proposal, which was €60 million plus add-ons that could elevate the total to €70 million. The English club is standing firm, requesting a fixed fee between €70 million and €80 million for the midfielder, despite the player having only a year left on his contract.
Barça Crafting New Offer
Barcelona has reportedly maxed out their initial offer, which did not satisfy Manchester City. The Catalan club’s recently submitted proposal was rejected late Wednesday. Nevertheless, discussions continue.
Barcelona is now preparing what they hope will be their final bid. Rodri, fully supportive of the move, has indicated to Manchester City his desire to facilitate a transfer, wishing to exit the Premier League.
The expected final proposal may involve €65 million in fixed fees along with €10 million in variables. Of these, approximately €5 million might be achievable, while the other half could present challenges. Barcelona aims to finalize this offer soon to reach an agreement that would allow Rodri to avoid returning to Manchester.
Rodri Prefers Direct Move to Barcelona
Rodri is scheduled to return to Manchester on Friday but hopes to travel directly to Barcelona if a deal is secured beforehand. Aware of Barcelona’s significant financial effort to sign him, he has even made concessions regarding his contract.
He has opted to decline certain financial offers from Real Madrid, underlining that his choice is influenced primarily by sporting and personal motivations, which could play a crucial role in the negotiations.
Manchester City Plans for Rodri’s Possible Exit
While Manchester City publicly expresses contentment at the prospect of keeping Rodri through the last year of his contract, their actions indicate preparations for his potential departure.
The club is currently pursuing midfield reinforcements, including Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez, moves designed to soften the impact of losing the Spanish international. Negotiations for Rodri have proven more challenging than expected for Barcelona, yet the narrowing gap between the two clubs suggests an agreement could materialize soon.
Rodri’s move to Barcelona remains on track, but is far from done yet.
As already reported, Manchester City have rejected Barcelona’s second offer of €60 million plus variables that could take the deal to €70 million.
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The English club continue to demand a fixed fee in the range of €70-80 million for the midfielder despite the fact that he has only one year left on his contract.
Barça preparing fresh Offer
According to SPORT, Barcelona have already stretched their proposal to the limit.
The €60 million fixed fee plus €10 million in variables failed to convince City, who rejected the offer late on Wednesday. However, the negotiations remain open.
The Catalan giants are now working on what they consider theirs definitive proposal. Barça have the full backing of Rodri, who has also asked the Cityzens to facilitate his departure because he wants to leave the Premier League.
Final offer incoming. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
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The report indicates that Barça’s final offer could reach €65 million fixed plus €10 million in variables.
Of those variables, around €5 million would be relatively achievable, while the remaining €5 million would be considerably harder to trigger.
That proposal could be enough to finally convince Manchester City to accept. Barcelona hope to put it on the table within hours and reach an agreement that would allow Rodri to avoid travelling back to Manchester.
Rodri does not want to return to Manchester
Rodri is currently expected to return to Manchester on Friday, but his preference is to travel directly to Barcelona if an agreement can be reached before then.
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The midfielder knows that Barça are making a major financial effort to sign him and has responded by making concessions in his own contract.
Rodri wants to join Barcelona. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
He has given up certain amounts that Real Madrid were prepared to pay him, reinforcing the idea that his decision is based primarily on sporting and personal reasons.
His involvement could prove decisive in the final stage of negotiations.
Man City preparing for Rodri’s departure
Manchester City may still insist publicly that they would be happy to keep Rodri for the final year of his contract, but their transfer activity suggests they are already preparing for life without him.
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The English giants are negotiating for midfield reinforcements, including Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez, moves that would help compensate for the departure of the Spanish international.
For Barcelona, the negotiations have proved tougher than initially expected. Even so, the gap between the two clubs is now considered small enough for an agreement to be reached at any moment.
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