- Barcelona are preparing a third bid for Rodri worth more than €70m after Manchester City rejected two offers for the midfielder.
Barcelona closes in on Rodri as talks accelerate
Barcelona are closing in on a deal to sign Rodri from Manchester City as the club-to-club talks are entering the final stretch, according to Matteo Moretto. Manchester City rejected the initial bids from the Catalans; the first bid was a package of €45 million, and the second offer was approximately around €60 million, but neither convinced the Manchester club, as they value Rodri at around €80 million.
Rodri is keen on a move to Barcelona after rejecting the interest from Real Madrid in recent weeks, he agreed to personal terms with the Blaugrana after the club strategically approached the midfielder to land him at Spotify Camp Nou as the cornerstone of Flick's project.
Barcelona prepares third offer worth more than €70m
As per Matteo Moretto, Barcelona is preparing to send the third bid for the World Cup hero with a package exceeding €70 million, as both clubs are close to reaching an agreement.
Completing the move for the 30-year-old midfielder is the priority for Barcelona at this moment, and then they will explore the final possibility to sign Julian Alvarez and move to alternative targets, including Luis Suarez, if the pursuit fails.
Manchester City also prefers to close the deal if a convincing offer arrives on the table. One of their key midfielders of last season, Tijjani Reijnders, is set to join Saudi side Al Qadsiah, so City wants to find replacements for their important midfielders, including Rodri and Reijnders, before the window closes. They are still assessing the possibility of signing Enzo from Chelsea despite the expiration of the self-imposed deadline by Chelsea to receive offers.
Hansi Flick and Barcelona's hierarchy are increasingly confident that Rodri could be part of their plans for the 2026-27 season.
How Rodri could transform Barcelona's midfield
The arrival of Rodri could add huge quality to Barcelona's midfield, he is capable of dictating the game from deep and driving the ball forward. Apart from his exceptional quality with the ball, he could provide defensive security for the team with his interceptions, tackles, and positional awareness.
Rodri would bring more than just another top-class midfielder to Barcelona. His ability to control the game and protect the defense could allow Pedri to play further forward and have more freedom to influence the attack.
The next offer could therefore be decisive, with Barcelona needing to bridge the remaining gap between their valuation and Manchester City's demands to finally bring Rodri back to Spain.