Manchester City have rejected Barcelona‘s opening offer for Rodri, although various sources have confirmed to ESPN that talks between the clubs will continue in the coming days with the aim of reaching an agreement.
The Spain international had been in negotiations with Real Madrid for weeks, but Barcelona entered the race in earnest on Thursday after reaching an agreement with the player with the remaining hurdle being convincing City to agree to letting their star midfielder leave the club.
A source close to the deal told ESPN that City rejected the initial proposal, but Barcelona remain confident that the club will soften their stance, given that Rodri is set to become a free agent next summer.
Sources indicate that Barcelona’s first offer was in the region of €50 million ($57.79m) — made up of a fixed fee and add-ons — but representatives from the Catalan club declined to confirm the exact figure when asked by ESPN.
Read more:World Cup glory sees Fabián Ruiz and Gavi gifted their weight in tomatoes
Barcelona intend to continue talks over the coming days to finalise the deal as soon as possible. Barcelona’s Spanish World Cup winners such as Pedri and Lamine Yamal are due to report for duty on Monday after being given time off to recharge after the tournament.
Meanwhile, 30-year-old Rodri is on holiday in Ibiza with his family while his future is being resolved.
Madrid have not been entirely ruled out, but sources suggest to ESPN that the player’s priority is to continue his career at Barcelona.
Read more:‘Rock star’ Matthias Jaissle the perfect man for ‘Newcastle 2.0’ – club CEO
Barça have already secured the signings of Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, and Jesse Bisiwu, and also hopes to finalise a deal for João Cancelo.
The club plans to make another attempt to sign Julián Álvarez, the forward targeted to replace Robert Lewandowski.
