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Manchester City v Liverpool - Emirates FA Cup Quarter FinalGetty Images Sport
Mohamed Mansi

Translated by

Manchester City enter unknown territory to compensate for Rodri

Transfers
Barcelona
Manchester City
Chelsea
Rodri
E. Fernandez
Premier League
England

Manchester City still see Chelsea's Enzo as one of their options to fill the void Rodri will leave behind, with the Spanish midfielder set to join Barcelona by all accounts.

According to Sport, City have a problem. The scenario Chelsea laid out for negotiating Enzo's exit from Stamford Bridge no longer exists.

Chelsea had set a deadline to receive a £120 million offer. It expired yesterday, Friday, without City putting that sum on the table.

From that moment, the London club withdrew the conditions they had set for the midfielder to leave. Now they expect Enzo to stay at Stamford Bridge for the 2026-2027 season.

The player featured today, Saturday, for the first time under Xabi Alonso, during the win over Real Sociedad, following his return from the holiday he was granted after the World Cup.

City have not ruled out the deal, though, according to The Telegraph and transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Enzo saga now enters unknown territory. The English club could try again over the coming days, but this time they would have to negotiate fresh terms for the transfer from scratch.

  • RodriGetty Images

    Involvement in the Rodri case

    Barcelona's interest in Rodri is clear. The Catalans have already tabled a third offer to Manchester City for the Spain international midfielder, having seen their first two bids rejected.

    That latest offer takes the fixed fee to 70 million euros. Barcelona opened talks at around 45 million euros before raising it to nearly 65 million.

    Optimism is growing at the Camp Nou, where the belief is the deal could be wrapped up this weekend. Manchester, too, expects the negotiations to end in agreement.

    Cashing in on Rodri would hand Manchester City more breathing space under Financial Fair Play rules and let them sign his replacement.

    Enzo, as mentioned, is the front-runner to fill that gap at the Etihad. The passing of the deadline set by Chelsea won't bring the midfielder saga to a close.

    New Manchester City manager Maresca, who coached Enzo at Chelsea, made his stance clear on Friday: his club will not play Chelsea's deadline game.

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  • Enzo Fernandez Chelsea HICGetty Images

    The new round

    Chelsea want to make one thing clear: they hold all the cards over the future of a player tied to the club until 2032.

    Manchester City, for their part, will wait to learn the final outcome of the Rodri deal before returning to their pursuit of Enzo. 

    Fabrizio Romano revealed in his latest transfer update that City's hierarchy have been in constant contact with the player's agents over recent days.

    The scenario, then, hasn't changed in essence. It has changed in the detail. City still want Enzo, but they are no longer dealing with the same Chelsea of yesterday, Friday, who opened a door for the player's departure under clearly defined terms, almost like a release clause.

    City must now work out how much they are willing to pay to prise open the doors of Stamford Bridge and land the Argentine.

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