Manchester City Rejects Barcelona's Bid for Rodri

Manchester City have rejected a £38.5m opening offer from Barcelona for Rodri, drawing a hard line in a transfer story that has suddenly tilted towards Catalonia.

City are prepared to sell their midfield metronome, but not at that price. The Premier League champions value the 30-year-old at more than £60m, a figure that reflects both his status in Pep Guardiola’s side and his standing in the global game as the reigning Ballon d'Or winner.

Rodri is into the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium and has not agreed fresh terms. That ticking clock has fuelled speculation all summer. For weeks, the smart money pointed towards Real Madrid. Now the landscape looks very different.

Barcelona move to the front of the queue

According to sources who spoke to BBC Sport, Barcelona received Rodri’s approval to open talks with City on Thursday. By Friday, the first formal offer had landed in Manchester.

Inside the Camp Nou, the message early in the week was cautious: no guarantees, no promises, just interest. That tone has shifted. Club sources now describe an active situation, with negotiations ongoing both with City and with the player’s camp.

Barcelona are in conversation with Rodri’s representatives and have already tested City’s resolve. The first bid has been rejected, but the door is clearly not closed. When a club publicly acknowledges “ongoing conversations” and then immediately lodges an offer, the direction of travel is obvious.

BBC sources say discussions with Real Madrid are now over. One heavyweight has left the table. Another sits there alone.

Real Madrid step away after “irresistible” pitch

Spanish radio network Cadena Ser, who spoke directly to Rodri’s agent Pablo Barquero, report that Real Madrid made what was described as an “irresistible” offer in the days after Spain’s World Cup triumph.

Talks began almost immediately after Rodri lifted the trophy and collected the player of the tournament award. From president Florentino Perez down to chief executive Jose Angel Sanchez, Real’s hierarchy threw their weight behind the move. They wanted him, badly, and made sure his camp felt it.

The negotiations were positive, respectful and intense over the past two weeks. Real, according to Cadena Ser, “put everything on the table” to get the deal done.

Then came the twist.

Rodri, the report says, made a personal decision to accept another offer. Real Madrid were informed on Friday and, rather than drag the saga out, chose to walk away, ending the process and thanking the player for the way talks had been conducted.

That “other offer” points directly towards Barcelona.

A champion in limbo

On the pitch, Rodri’s last 18 months have been anything but straightforward at club level. He missed much of the 2024-25 campaign with a serious knee injury and saw parts of the previous season disrupted by a hamstring problem.

Yet when it mattered most, he resurfaced at full power. At the World Cup in the summer, he anchored Spain to their second title, dictating games with the authority that has made him one of the most complete midfielders of his generation. He left the tournament with the Ballon d'Or and the player of the tournament award, confirmation of a status that City’s valuation now underlines.

Right now, though, he is again on the sidelines. Rodri underwent back surgery last month and is currently out of action, with plans to rejoin his City team-mates in Manchester early next week.

His return to the training ground will not just be about fitness. It will be about answers.

City’s clock is ticking

As the transfer window edges towards its second week of August, City know they cannot allow this to drift. Lose Rodri late in the window and they risk scrambling for a replacement. Resolve his future quickly and they can move decisively in the market.

Talks are already under way for 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi of Lille. City see him as a major talent, but Lille’s £86m asking price is a serious obstacle. For now, that fee sits there like a roadblock.

City’s stance on Rodri, though, is clear. They will not be lowballed, even with one year left on his deal. Barcelona will have to come back with a significantly improved offer or risk watching one of the defining midfielders of this era stay put—or choose a different path altogether.

Rodri has already turned down one “irresistible” proposal this summer. The next decision he makes could reshape not only his own career, but the balance of power in Spain and the rhythm of Manchester City’s midfield for years to come.