Barcelona step up pursuit of Rodri

Barcelona are reportedly closing in on a major move for Rodri after making a third offer of around €70 million to Manchester City. The Catalan club hope the bid will be enough to secure the midfielder’s signature after beating competition from Real Madrid.

According to AS, Barcelona have also proposed a four-year contract worth €15 million per season. Once the transfer fee, salary and commissions are included, the overall cost of the deal could reach approximately €210 million.

City unwilling to rule out departure

Rodri is entering the final year of his Manchester City contract and has been linked with a return to La Liga. Real Madrid were previously expected to pursue the midfielder, but reports indicate that Barcelona have become his preferred destination.

Manchester City have publicly reiterated their desire to retain Rodri, but head coach Enzo Maresca offered no guarantee that the player will remain at the Etihad Stadium. Asked about the situation, Maresca said: “First of all, we already said the window transfer is open, we can buy and sell players, anything can happen.”

Maresca added that he had recently seen Rodri at the club and described him as looking well, but said there was still time for the situation to develop. Barcelona have reportedly already seen two bids rejected by City.

Rodri’s importance to Manchester City

Rodri has made 298 appearances for City since joining ahead of the 2019-20 season, helping the club win four consecutive league titles, its first Champions League and 13 major trophies overall. City have won 71.5% of their matches when he has played, compared with 62.8% without him, underlining the scale of the potential loss.

The midfielder has struggled with injuries during the last two campaigns, including back surgery after captaining Spain to World Cup glory. However, he returned to his best at the tournament and won the Golden Ball.

City have strengthened their midfield by signing Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, while Bernardo Silva has left the club. Maresca acknowledged that rebuilding the midfield would be “a big challenge”, noting that Anderson and Silva are different types of players.