Man City reject Barcelona's opening Rodri bid but talks set to continue

[DarkLantern]

The Rodri saga has taken another step forward, Manchester City have rejected Barcelonas opening bid for the World Cup winning midfielder, but crucially talks between the two clubs are set to continue rather than collapsing entirely, and Rodri has reportedly already agreed personal terms to join Hansi Flicks side

Reports vary slightly on the exact figure but the shape of the story is consistent, Barcelonas opening proposal was somewhere around 45 million euros in a fixed fee plus an additional 15 million in performance related add-ons, City are demanding a guaranteed fee, with reports ranging from 65 million up to City valuing him as high as 80 million euros, either way theres a genuinely significant gap between what Barcelona have offered and what City are willing to accept for one of their most influential players

The move accelerated rapidly after Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick personally phoned Rodri directly to lay out his vision for the midfielder within the team, that conversation reportedly convinced Rodri to give his definitive green light to a return to La Liga, this came right as Real Madrids interest cooled considerably, with reports suggesting Madrids own offer was only around 40 million euros, a number Rodris camp apparently interpreted as a lack of genuine commitment compared to Barcelonas more serious approach

City find themselves in a genuinely tricky negotiating position here, Rodri has just 11 months left on his contract, meaning if a deal isnt reached this window they risk losing their Ballon dOr winning midfielder for nothing next summer as a free agent, City are also reportedly eyeing Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi as a potential replacement, who would himself command a significant fee, so theres real pressure to move quickly and convert this sale into funds for rebuilding the midfield

Barcelonas own financial constraints add another layer of complexity, reports suggest their maximum budget for Rodri sits around 50 million euros, potentially stretching to 60 million with variables included, which still leaves a real gap against Citys stated valuation, Barcelona sporting director Deco and the clubs hierarchy reportedly believe that number is fair given Rodris age and how little time remains on his current deal

With Rodri scheduled to report back to Manchester for training on August 13th, both clubs have a genuine deadline pressure bearing down on them, Barcelona remain confident a compromise gets reached given how clearly Rodri has committed to the move, but City have a long history of never blocking a player who wants to leave, dating back through the Pep Guardiola era, which suggests this eventually gets resolved even if the final fee lands somewhere between the two current positions

Manchester City reject Barcelona's opening £38.5m bid for Rodri as talks continuewww.theguardian.com

[Velvet Connor]

City demanding a guaranteed fee with Rodri only having 11 months left on his deal is a genuinely tough spot for a selling club, they have real leverage on quality but the contract clock is ticking hard against them if they hold out too long and risk losing him for nothing

[Merchant97]

This has all the hallmarks of a classic summer transfer negotiation dance, opening bid gets rejected as a formality, both sides posture publicly, and then a compromise number somewhere in the middle eventually gets agreed once the deadline pressure actually bites

[Karen88]

The gap between Barcelonas stated 50 to 60 million ceiling and Citys reported 65 to 80 million valuation is still genuinely wide, this doesnt feel like a deal thats close to done yet despite all the reports of Rodri already agreeing personal terms

[Mick79]

Real Madrids reportedly low 40 million offer being interpreted as a lack of commitment by Rodris camp is a fascinating detail, sometimes these transfer sagas come down less to the money itself and more to what the number signals about how much a club actually wants you

[Louise82]

City eyeing Bouaddi from Lille as a replacement shows theyre already planning for life after Rodri regardless of how these negotiations shake out, smart to have a succession plan lined up rather than scrambling reactively once a sale is actually completed

[SpinState52]

Rodri already having agreed personal terms before the clubs have even settled on a fee is interesting sequencing, shows how confident Barcelona are that this eventually gets done, they clearly werent going to wait for full agreement before locking in the player himself

[Courtois75]

Watching Barcelonas financial fair play constraints collide with their ambition to sign a Ballon dOr winner is a familiar story for this club specifically, curious whether they end up needing player sales of their own to actually bridge that remaining gap in Rodris valuation

[SuperOwen35]

City never standing in the way of a player who wants to leave, going back to the Guardiola era, is an admirable policy compared to how some clubs handle these situations, but it also means Barcelona probably know City will eventually cave rather than force an unhappy player to stay

[ControlPlane Leopard]

August 13th being the date Rodri is due back in Manchester creates a real natural deadline pressure point, expect this to either resolve quickly in the next few days or drag into an awkward situation where he reports for training while still expecting to leave