Manchester City have turned down Barcelona’s £38.5m (€45m) bid for Rodri, insisting they will demand at least £60m before considering the departure of Spain’s World Cup-winning captain.
Rodri is believed to favour a move to Barcelona after negotiations with Real Madrid collapsed this week. The 30-year-old has entered the final season of his City contract and is understood to have reached an agreement over personal terms with the Spanish champions. He expressed a desire to return to Spain following Pep Guardiola’s departure.
The midfielder joined City from Atlético Madrid in 2019 and has rejected a highly paid contract extension. City remain determined not to sell him below their valuation, while Barcelona are still holding talks in an attempt to find an acceptable compromise.
Rodri, who received the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s outstanding player last month, discussed a possible transfer with Barcelona manager Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco on Wednesday. The club have identified him as a replacement for Frenkie de Jong, who is expected to be sidelined for several months with a knee injury. Rodri has also undergone minor back surgery and is likely to miss most of City’s pre-season schedule.
City have recruited Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m and are continuing discussions with Lille over Ayyoub Bouaddi. The Morocco midfielder could command a fee of up to £80m, although City may seek a more established successor if Rodri leaves. Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández is reportedly among the players being considered. Real Madrid are also interested in the Argentinian, and their manager, José Mourinho, is said to be frustrated after losing ground to their major rivals. Reports from Spain suggest the 63-year-old had made the addition of a central midfielder a key objective after beginning his second spell at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Real Madrid have already added winger Yan Diomande for £115m, along with Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konaté, Denzel Dumfries and Carlos Espí. As a result, they may need to sell Aurélien Tchouaméni or Eduardo Camavinga to finance a move for Fernández.
Crystal Palace have announced the arrival of Takehiro Tomiyasu following a successful trial. The former Arsenal defender trained with the squad throughout pre-season and has secured an initial one-year contract that includes an option for a further two seasons. He is Pierre Sage’s second addition of the summer after Óscar Mingueza joined on a free transfer. Palace are also expected to finalise the signing of United States youth international Zavier Gozo from Real Salt Lake.
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