Barcelona have made their move for Manchester City midfielder Rodri, setting up a transfer battle with Real Madrid for one of world football’s most sought-after players.
The Spain captain has entered the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and is attracting growing interest from both Spanish giants. While Real Madrid have been in discussions with Manchester City for several days, Barcelona are now accelerating their own pursuit after receiving encouragement that they have a genuine chance of landing the World Cup winner.
According to reports, Barcelona’s interest has intensified over the past 24 hours as the Catalan club looks to steal a march on their Clasico rivals.
Real Madrid are understood to have indicated they would be willing to offer around £50 million for the midfielder, but Manchester City remain determined to keep one of the most influential players in their squad.
City’s priority is to convince Rodri to sign a new long-term contract and become the cornerstone of Enzo Maresca’s rebuild following Pep Guardiola’s departure. Club officials are reluctant to sanction the sale of a player widely regarded as the best defensive midfielder in world football.
Rodri is currently recovering after undergoing successful back surgery following Spain’s FIFA World Cup triumph. The 30-year-old is expected to miss both the Community Shield against Arsenal and Manchester City’s opening Premier League fixture as he continues his rehabilitation.
Real Madrid’s pursuit has been driven in part by a desire to strengthen the Spanish core of Jose Mourinho’s squad following criticism that the club had too few Spain internationals at this summer’s World Cup. After already signing Marc Cucurella, Los Blancos identified Rodri as another priority addition.
However, Barcelona now believe they have a realistic opportunity to win the race.
The Catalan giants are reportedly optimistic that Rodri would be open to returning to La Liga if he leaves England, raising the prospect of one of the summer’s biggest transfer battles.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes Manchester City should reject any offer in the region of £40-50 million.
“£40-50m? If you’re Manchester City, what’s the point in selling them? You might as well just keep them for the extra year.
“He’s as good as anybody in that position in the Premier League, probably the best.
“If I was the manager of Manchester City, I’d be keeping Rodri at that price. It’d have to be something really special to want me to lose arguably the best midfield player in world football.”
Sky Sports analyst Laura Hunter echoed that assessment, describing Rodri as irreplaceable despite City’s investment in England midfielder Elliot Anderson.
She argued that no player currently controls matches in the same way as Rodri and noted that Manchester City’s struggles during his injury absences underline his importance to the team.
For now, Manchester City remain focused on extending Rodri’s contract, but with Barcelona and Real Madrid both circling, the battle for the Spain captain’s signature is set to dominate the final weeks of the transfer window.
