The transfer saga surrounding Rodri Hernández intensified this week, with Barcelona’s pursuit of the Manchester City and Spain midfielder gathering pace just as the new European season approaches.
According to reporting that emerged alongside the AFP dispatch, Barcelona has already moved beyond the stage of simply seeking permission to negotiate.
Barça and Rodri are said to have reached agreement on economic terms, with the club confident he would accept their salary offer, allowing Barcelona’s focus to shift toward hammering out a fee with City.
That fee, however, is proving to be the sticking point.
Barcelona are preparing an opening offer in the region of €50 million, a sum they themselves expect will fall short of City’s demands, which sit in the €60-70 million range.
City’s stance appears to be hardening rather than softening. Manchester City are reportedly prepared to reject Barcelona’s opening proposal, said to be around €45 million plus €15 million in variables, as the English club holds firm on a valuation closer to €65 million.
For their part, Barcelona have set an internal ceiling of €50 million, potentially stretching to €60 million once add-ons are factored in, a figure sporting director Deco and his colleagues consider fair given Rodri’s age and the short time left on his contract.
The swiftness of developments has been notable. Rodri is understood to have already agreed personal terms with Barcelona, who are now negotiating directly with City and are seen as the frontrunners to land him. That marks a swing away from Real Madrid, who had appeared to hold an advantage earlier in the window.
Indeed, the collapse of Madrid’s interest appears to trace back to a miscommunication over money. Talks between Real Madrid and City are said to have broken down over an inability to agree a fee, with early reports suggesting Madrid had offered €50 million against City’s demand of €75 million figures that later proved inaccurate, as Madrid’s actual offer was closer to €40 million.
The discrepancy reportedly left Rodri and his camp with the impression that Madrid’s interest was not as serious as first suggested, opening the door for their fiercest rivals to swoop.
City, for their part, are not simply waving him through. The club’s willingness to let players leave when they wish to move on has long been a hallmark of the Pep Guardiola era, but sources close to the negotiations stress there is, as the original Barcelona source put it, no guarantee this ends in a transfer.
Rodri’s importance to whichever dressing room he ends up in this season is hard to overstate. A Golden Ball winner at this year’s World Cup and the reigning Ballon d’Or holder, the 30-year-old anchored City’s midfield through four Premier League titles and Champions League glory.
His departure would also come at a delicate moment for Barcelona defensively, with captain Frenkie de Jong sidelined by a serious knee injury and Hansi Flick pushing publicly for reinforcements at the base of midfield.
Whether the two clubs can bridge a gap that, on some estimates, still runs to €15-20 million may determine whether Rodri swaps Manchester for Catalonia before the window closes or whether City’s harder line ultimately prevails.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Barcelona has Rodri’s agreement to talks and personal terms sorted, but the deal now hinges entirely on money. The city wants around €65 million; Barcelona’s ceiling sits closer to €50-60 million. Until that gap closes, there’s interest, momentum, and no guarantee.
