Barcelona enter race for Rodri as Real Madrid talks stall

Barcelona have stepped up their interest in Manchester City midfielder Rodri and are now hopeful of beating Real Madrid to sign the Spain captain, who has entered the final year of his contract at the Etihad. Sky Sports understands the Catalan club have received encouragement that a deal is possible in this window, while Real’s talks with City have so far failed to produce an agreement on a fee.

Real Madrid were the first to move, with reports saying they had been in talks with City and were prepared to pay around £50m. However, those negotiations have stalled over personal terms and the valuation, leaving the door open for Barcelona to emerge as serious rivals. Spanish sources say Rodri has now given his approval for Barcelona to open formal talks with City, effectively ending Real’s hopes of bringing him to the Bernabeu this summer.

City do not want to sell their key player and are still hoping Rodri will sign a new long-term contract and lead the team into the Enzo Maresca era. The club are aware of the interest from both Spanish giants but are believed to be holding out for a fee closer to €70m–€75m if they are to let him go, rather than accept the lower offers so far tabled.

The timing is delicate because Rodri is currently recovering from successful back surgery after the World Cup and is expected to miss the Community Shield and the opening Premier League fixture. That adds another layer of complexity: any buying club must be confident he will return to full fitness quickly, while City must weigh the risk of losing him for free next summer against the value of keeping their best midfielder for another campaign.

Jamie Carragher has warned City not to sell Rodri for £40m–£50m, calling him arguably the best midfielder in world football and saying it would be “really tough” for them to win the Premier League without him. Laura Hunter added that there is no current player who can condition a game like Rodri, and that City’s title failures in recent seasons coincided with his injury problems, underlining how central he is to their system.

For now, the situation remains fluid. Barcelona have the player’s green light to negotiate, Real Madrid’s move is effectively frozen, and City are still trying to convince Rodri to extend his stay. The next few days could decide whether the Ballon d’Or winner returns to Spain this summer or remains in Manchester for at least one more season.