Barcelona have made their biggest move yet for Rodri, submitting a third offer worth more than €70 million after Manchester City rejected their first two proposals. Barça are increasingly confident, but City have not yet accepted.
Barcelona have reportedly submitted a third and potentially decisive offer for Manchester City midfielder Rodri as one of the summer’s biggest transfer sagas enters a critical stage.
After seeing two previous proposals rejected, the Catalan giants have returned with an offer exceeding €70 million, according to AS. Mundo Deportivo has separately reported that a third proposal worth around the same figure has been sent to Manchester City.
The development represents a major change from only days ago, when Barcelona were still preparing their next move following the rejection of their second offer.
Now the bid has reportedly arrived.
Barcelona have increased the money.
Rodri’s future remains open.
And Manchester City must decide whether their latest valuation has finally been met.
There is still one extremely important distinction, however. Manchester City have not yet been reliably reported to have accepted the offer.
Barcelona finally send their third Rodri offer
AS reported on Saturday that Barça have presented what it described as a highly attractive third offer worth more than £60 million, equivalent to over €70 million. Barcelona believe this proposal could finally be enough to convince the Manchester City executives leading the negotiations.
The progression of the negotiations shows just how determined Barcelona have become.
AS puts the opening offer at approximately €45 million before Barcelona increased their proposal to around €60 million. Both approaches failed to produce an agreement.
The third attempt now takes the operation above the €70 million mark.
This is no longer an exploratory bid.
Barcelona have moved significantly from their original position and are now approaching the range Manchester City have been demanding throughout negotiations.
Manchester City have rejected Barcelona twice
City have already demonstrated that they are prepared to resist Barcelona’s pressure.
Sky Sports reported that an improved Barcelona bid worth around £55 million was rejected, with Manchester City seeking upwards of £60 million for the Spain midfielder.
The Guardian had similarly reported that City valued Rodri at approximately £65 million as talks intensified.
AS has presented an even higher version of City’s position, saying the Premier League club initially wanted around €80 million. The exact valuation therefore varies between sources, but all of the reporting points in the same direction: Barcelona’s earlier proposals were not enough.
The third bid changes that calculation.
At more than €70 million, Barcelona have moved much closer to the figures associated with Manchester City’s demands.
Barça believe this offer could finally be enough
The mood inside Barcelona is reportedly one of increasing confidence.
AS says the Catalan club believe the operation is closer than at any previous stage and are hoping their third proposal will become the decisive one. The message coming from inside the club is reportedly to remain patient while negotiations continue.
Another report on Saturday, citing transfer specialist Matteo Moretto, described talks as entering their final stretch and suggested Barcelona are aiming to complete the operation for a package exceeding €70 million between guaranteed money and variables.
That optimism is significant.
But optimism is not acceptance.
Until Manchester City approve the structure of the proposal, Rodri remains their player and Barcelona still have work to do.
Manchester City have not accepted the third bid yet
This is the key point surrounding the latest headlines.
As of the latest reliable reporting, there has been no confirmation from Manchester City, Barcelona, Reuters, Sky Sports or The Guardian that the third offer has been accepted.
AS itself presents the situation as Barcelona waiting for City to say yes rather than reporting an agreement as complete.
That means several headlines would still be premature.
Rodri is not officially a Barcelona player.
There is no confirmed medical.
There is no official transfer announcement.
And there is not yet a confirmed final agreement between the clubs.
What has changed is that Barcelona have reportedly taken the step everyone was waiting for. They have submitted the third offer.
Enzo Maresca refuses to guarantee Rodri will stay
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has done little to kill the speculation.
Rodri returned to Manchester this week and reported back to the club following his summer break and recovery from back surgery.
Maresca confirmed that he had seen the midfielder at City’s training complex and welcomed him back, but when questioned about his future he refused to guarantee that Rodri would remain at the Etihad.
The City manager said the transfer window remained open and that “anything can happen.”
Those words have inevitably encouraged Barcelona.
A manager determined to completely end a transfer story could simply declare the player unavailable.
Maresca chose not to do that.
Rodri returning to City does not mean the transfer is dead
Rodri’s return to Manchester briefly created speculation that Barcelona’s pursuit had failed.
That interpretation now looks far too simplistic.
Reuters confirmed that Rodri returned to City and was ready to resume training following his back procedure, while Maresca simultaneously left his future unresolved.
AS then reported Barcelona’s third offer shortly afterwards.
The sequence is therefore straightforward.
Rodri returned because he remains a Manchester City player under contract.
Barcelona continued negotiating because they still want to change that.
Both things can be true at the same time.
Barcelona are preparing a four-year contract
According to AS, Barcelona have a four-year contract prepared for Rodri if they can reach an agreement with Manchester City. The Spanish outlet also reports that the midfielder had previously communicated his desire to leave City.
This is another reason the club-to-club negotiation is now the central issue.
Barcelona appear confident enough in their position with the player to concentrate on finding the transfer fee City will accept.
If an agreement is reached between the clubs, the remaining personal side of the operation is not currently being presented as the major obstacle.
Why Barcelona want Rodri so badly
Rodri would be far more than another midfield signing for Barcelona.
He would immediately provide the control, physical authority and positional intelligence required at the base of the midfield.
He is also arriving from an extraordinary period with Spain, having been one of the central figures in the national team’s recent success.
AS notes that he was named the outstanding player at both Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup, reinforcing his status as one of the most decorated and influential midfielders of his generation.
Barcelona therefore see the operation as both an immediate sporting upgrade and a major statement signing.
Rodri could transform Barcelona’s midfield
The tactical appeal is obvious.
Rodri can dictate tempo from deep, protect the centre-backs, control transitions and give more attacking midfielders freedom to operate higher up the pitch.
His arrival would also provide Barcelona with a player accustomed to controlling possession under intense pressure at the highest level of European football.
For a club that wants to dominate matches through the ball, there are few midfielders with a profile more naturally suited to the role.
That explains why Barcelona have been willing to improve their offer three times rather than immediately turning toward another target.
Ferran Torres sale changes Barcelona’s financial picture
Barcelona also completed another major piece of transfer business on Saturday.
Paris Saint-Germain officially signed Ferran Torres from Barça on a contract until 2031. Reuters reported that the financial terms were not publicly disclosed, but media reports put the transfer at approximately €50 million.
The timing is naturally significant.
Barcelona have just generated a substantial transfer fee and removed another salary from their books at the same moment they are making their largest offer yet for Rodri.
That does not prove the Ferran money has been directly earmarked for the Manchester City midfielder.
But it does improve Barcelona’s overall financial flexibility as they attempt to complete another expensive operation.
City’s replacement question remains complicated
If Manchester City accept Barcelona’s proposal, they would then face the enormous task of replacing one of the most important players of their modern era.
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández has been heavily linked with City, but the Premier League champions did not meet Chelsea’s reported £120 million deadline for an offer. The Guardian reports Chelsea now expect Fernández to remain at Stamford Bridge, although City’s midfield plans can still change before the transfer window closes.
City have also been working on other midfield options as Maresca reshapes his squad.
The replacement situation could therefore influence how comfortable the club feels about finally allowing Rodri to leave.
The third bid puts Manchester City under a different kind of pressure
Barcelona’s first offers were relatively easy for City to reject because there was a significant gap between the proposals and the figures associated with their valuation.
The third offer makes the decision more difficult.
If the package genuinely exceeds €70 million, City now have to consider whether pushing for the final few million is worth potentially prolonging a saga involving a player whose future remains unresolved.
Barcelona, meanwhile, must decide how much further they are prepared to go if City demand another increase.
The negotiation has therefore moved from whether Barcelona are serious to exactly where the two clubs can find the final compromise.
Could this really be Barcelona’s final offer?
AS describes Barcelona’s hope that this will finally be the definitive proposal.
That does not necessarily mean Barça would walk away immediately if City reject it.
Transfer negotiations often move through changes to add-ons, payment schedules and guaranteed amounts without dramatically changing the headline valuation.
The structure of the package could therefore become just as important as the overall €70 million figure.
If City want more money guaranteed up front while Barcelona prefer performance-related variables, negotiations could continue even if the clubs are broadly close on total value.
Barcelona believe the finish line is getting closer
The tone surrounding the operation has changed dramatically during the past week.
At first, Barcelona were attempting to discover whether Manchester City would seriously negotiate.
Then came the first rejection.
Then the second.
Rodri returned to Manchester.
Maresca refused to guarantee he would stay.
And now Barcelona have reportedly responded with their biggest offer yet.
There is still no deal.
But the negotiation has clearly entered a more advanced phase.
What happens next?
Everything now depends on Manchester City’s response.
If City accept the package, negotiations could move rapidly toward final personal terms, medical arrangements and official paperwork.
If City reject it outright, Barcelona will have to decide whether to stretch their budget again.
A third possibility is perhaps the most realistic in a negotiation this advanced. City could respond with requested changes to the structure rather than simply saying yes or no.
That could involve more guaranteed money, different add-ons or changes to the payment schedule.
Rodri to Barcelona has reached its biggest moment yet
For several days, Barcelona supporters had been waiting for the rumored third bid.
According to AS and Mundo Deportivo, it has now arrived.
More than €70 million is reportedly on the table.
Barcelona believe they have moved close enough to Manchester City’s demands to finish the operation.
Rodri is back in Manchester, but his manager has refused to guarantee his future.
And Barcelona have just strengthened their financial position by completing Ferran Torres’ move to PSG.
The situation is therefore considerably more advanced than it was after the second rejection.
But one final barrier remains.
Manchester City still have to say yes.
Until they do, Rodri’s transfer to Barcelona is not complete.
But after Barça’s third and biggest bid, the decision is now firmly in Manchester City’s hands.
