Manchester City rejected an opening offer of £38.5 million from Barcelona for midfielder Rodri on Friday, according to BBC Sport. City are open to selling the Spaniard but are demanding more than £60 million for the 30-year-old, who enters the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium without a new deal signed.
The bid came after BBC Sport reported Thursday that Barcelona had received Rodri's approval to open negotiations with City. Barcelona sources had initially told BBC Sport there were no guarantees any deal would be made, but the situation developed quickly. The club said Friday they were in ongoing conversations with the player's representatives before submitting the offer later that day.
Real Madrid had appeared to be the frontrunner for Rodri's signature for much of the summer. According to Spanish radio network Cadena Ser, who spoke directly to Rodri's agent Pablo Barquero, Real Madrid made the player an "irresistible" offer shortly after Spain's World Cup triumph. Talks began just days after the tournament, with Rodri's camp praising the courtesy, class, and respect shown by the club throughout negotiations.
Cadena Ser reported that everyone at Real Madrid, from president Florentino Perez to chief executive Jose Angel Sanchez, worked to make the deal happen and made it clear they were serious about signing the midfielder. Despite positive discussions over what the radio network described as the past two weeks, Rodri made the personal decision to accept another offer. Real Madrid were informed of the decision Friday and chose to end the process, thanking the player for the respectful way negotiations were conducted. BBC Sport sources confirmed talks with Real have now ended.
Rodri missed much of the 2024-25 campaign after sustaining a serious knee injury, and parts of last season were also disrupted by a hamstring issue. He is currently out of action after undergoing back surgery last month and is scheduled to rejoin his City teammates in Manchester early next week. Despite the injury disruptions, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner returned to form at the World Cup this summer, leading Spain to their second title and being named player of the tournament.
Approaching the second week of August, City will be aiming to resolve Rodri's future quickly in order to sign a replacement. Talks are ongoing to sign 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, but the French club's £86 million asking price appears to be a sticking point.
