Barcelona have made an ambitious move for Manchester City midfielder Rodri, but their opening offer has been rejected by the Premier League club.
FootballTransfers, citing David Ornstein of The Athletic, reports that Barcelona’s bid was worth around €45 million. Manchester City consider that figure well below their valuation of the 30-year-old and maintain that no meaningful club-to-club talks are taking place because an offer they consider serious has not yet been made.
Barcelona entered the race for Rodri after reportedly convincing him to choose a move to Camp Nou over Real Madrid. The midfielder is now pushing for a move to Catalunya, according to the report. Rodri has entered the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and has so far shown no willingness to sign an extension.
Reports in Spain have suggested Barcelona could ultimately be prepared to pay up to €60 million for Rodri. City, however, have made clear that they want a fee close to €80 million to sell the midfielder.
Manchester City are prepared to let Rodri run down his contract if necessary rather than accept a discounted price. It remains to be seen whether Barcelona will return with a fresh offer as the gap between the two clubs’ valuations remains significant.
