English Premier League
Barcelona prepare final Rodri bid as Manchester City hold out for €80m
Barcelona are preparing a final offer for Manchester City midfielder Rodri after the Premier League club rejected a second proposal worth €60m plus performance-related additions that could have taken the total to €70m.
Manchester City are demanding €80m for the Spain international, despite Rodri having only one year remaining on his contract. The English club have adopted a firm negotiating position after the player reached an agreement with Barcelona over personal terms.
The proposed €80m package could include performance targets that would be difficult to achieve, but Manchester City remain determined to reach that figure before agreeing to Rodri’s departure.
According to The Times, Manchester City are also seeking to strengthen their financial position in line with Financial Fair Play rules before attempting to sign Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez. A high-value sale would therefore help the club balance its accounts while funding potential recruitment.
Barcelona’s latest offer represented the maximum amount it had previously been willing to pay for the transfer. It consisted of €60m in guaranteed payments and a further €10m in incentives, but Manchester City turned it down late on Wednesday.
The negotiations have not broken down, however, and Barcelona are now working on what it regards as a final proposal. Catalan newspaper Sport reports that the club will not exceed that amount, although sources close to the talks believe the structure of the bid could change.
The final offer could be worth €65m up front, with another €10m available in bonuses. Half of those additional payments would be linked to conditions considered relatively easy to meet, while the remaining €5m would depend on more demanding targets.
Barcelona believe that package may be sufficient to persuade Manchester City to approve the transfer. The proposal is expected to be submitted in the coming hours, with the aim of reaching an initial agreement and avoiding unnecessary travel for Rodri.
The midfielder is due to report to Manchester City on Friday, but would prefer to travel directly to Barcelona instead. That possibility remains unresolved because the final and most difficult stage of the negotiations is still to come.
Manchester City have already accepted that Rodri is likely to leave, despite telling Barcelona during the discussions that they would be prepared to retain him for the final year of his contract. That position is understood to have been used mainly as a negotiating tactic rather than a reflection of the club’s preferred outcome.
The club’s activity in the transfer market offers a clearer indication of its plans. Manchester City are in talks to sign midfielders Ayoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez as possible replacements for the Spain international.
Rodri is aware of the significant effort being made by Barcelona to complete the deal and has shown flexibility over his proposed contract. He has agreed to give up some of the financial benefits he previously received in order to help make the move possible.
His decision is based on both sporting and personal considerations, and he is doing everything possible to ensure the transfer is completed. Barcelona accept that the negotiations have proved more complicated than expected, but believe the gap between the two clubs has narrowed sufficiently for an agreement to be reached at any moment.
