Barcelona moves closer to €210m Rodri transfer deal

The Rodri saga is finally reaching its breaking point.

Barcelona and Manchester City remain locked in negotiations over the Spain midfielder, with a third bid from the Catalan club expected to land today. Two offers have already been turned down, and City are still pushing hard to squeeze maximum value from a player who has just one year left on his contract.

That detail, usually a major bargaining chip, has barely shifted the mood in Manchester. City are holding the line at around €80 million. Barcelona’s latest proposal is understood to be close enough for both sides to believe a deal can be wrapped up in the coming days.

A €210 million gamble

On paper, the transfer fee itself looks set to sit in the region of €75 million. For Barcelona, that is only the start of the bill.

According to Diario AS, the total outlay on Rodri could climb to an eye-watering €210 million once the entire package is added up. The World Cup Golden Ball winner has been offered a net salary of €15 million per season on a four-year contract.

In Catalonia, that figure explodes under the tax burden. Rodri’s gross salary would reach around €34 million a year, taking the wage commitment alone to roughly €136 million over the length of the deal. By the time commissions and the transfer fee are stacked on top, the operation edges towards – and may even surpass – that €210 million mark.

For a club still wrestling with financial constraints, it is a statement of both intent and risk.

Waiting game for Rodri

Rodri has already stepped out of his post-World Cup holiday and was recently seen boarding a flight back to England, a reminder that, for now, he remains a City player. The original plan on his side had been simple: finish his break and head straight to Barcelona as a new signing.

That has not happened. The midfielder has instead asked to skip training while the clubs try to close the gap in negotiations. Whether he actually reports for pre-season in England now hangs over the next 24 hours.

His close relationship with several Barcelona players only adds to the sense that this is a move he wants. The dressing room in Catalonia is ready for him. The paperwork is not.

City’s own clock is ticking

There is another twist driving the pace. Manchester City are pushing hard to sign Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez and are working to a deadline of under 24 hours to get that deal done.

That race against time could feed directly into Rodri’s future. City need clarity in midfield. Barcelona need a breakthrough in talks. The gap between the two clubs is no longer huge, and with a third offer already being prepared, the next call may decide whether this becomes the defining transfer of Barcelona’s summer or the one that got away.