Manchester City has turned down Barcelona‘s initial bid for Rodri, but multiple sources have informed ESPN that discussions between the two sides will persist in the upcoming days in hopes of reaching a consensus.
The Spanish international had been in talks with Real Madrid for several weeks, but Barcelona intensified their pursuit on Thursday after reaching an agreement with the player. The last barrier is persuading City to permit the exit of their key midfielder.
A source connected to the negotiations told ESPN that City rejected the first offer; however, Barcelona remains optimistic that City may revise their position since Rodri is poised to become a free agent next summer.
Reports suggest that Barcelona’s opening offer was around €50 million ($58 million), including both a fixed amount and performance-related add-ons. Nevertheless, representatives from the Catalan club did not confirm the precise figure when approached by ESPN.
Barcelona aims to persist with negotiations over the next few days to finalize the deal promptly. Spanish World Cup champions like Pedri and Lamine Yamal are scheduled to return on Monday after some time off to recharge post-tournament.
Meanwhile, the 30-year-old Rodri is enjoying a holiday in Ibiza with his family while his future remains uncertain.
While Madrid hasn’t been completely ruled out, sources suggest to ESPN that Rodri’s priority is to continue his career with Barcelona.
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Barcelona has already secured signings for Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, and Jesse Bisiwu, and is also working to finalize a deal for João Cancelo.
The club intends to make another attempt to acquire Julián Álvarez, the forward they have targeted to replace Robert Lewandowski.