FC Barcelona have tabled a bid of around €45 million for Rodri. That is according to Ben Jacobs. Manchester City, however, want far more for the midfielder and have rejected the offer.
Jacobs understands that Manchester City hope to bring in around €75 million for Rodri, whose contract at the Etihad Stadium runs until mid-2027. Right now, there is still a significant gap between Barcelona's bid and City's asking price.
Still, Barcelona believe they have a good chance. "Barcelona will return with a new bid and remain optimistic," Jacobs writes.
For a long time, Rodri, who was born in Madrid, was open to a move to Real Madrid. The interest, however, was not mutual for a long time, causing him to lose patience and decide to open himself up to Barcelona.
That prompted the latter club to push on. On Thursday, transfer market expert Matteo Moretto reported that the Catalans have reached a personal agreement with the 30-year-old world champion.
Last summer, Rodri captained Spain to the world title. A number of his team-mates at La Roja helped persuade him to choose Spotify Camp Nou for the next step in his career.
Romano added on Thursday that Barcelona remain wary of movement from Real Madrid. Los Blancos have been focused mainly in recent weeks on signing RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomandé.
After coming through Atlético Madrid's academy, Rodri made his breakthrough at Villarreal. He returned to Atleti in 2018, then joined Manchester City in 2019 and developed into a midfielder of absolute world class.