Barcelona are ‘very confident’ of winning the race to sign Rodri and have opened official talks with Manchester City to get a deal done.
Barcelona have emerged as serious contenders to sign the Spain captain, rivalling Real Madrid for a deal.
The Catalan club are reportedly increasing in confidence that Rodri will end up at the Camp Nou after positive talks with the player’s camp, and initial negotiations with Manchester City.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Barcelona are prepared to pay around €45m (£38.5m) for the midfielder, whose contract at the Etihad expires next summer.
City have indicated it will take significantly more to sign the Spaniard, who has been open in his desire to return to La Liga.
Rodri’s agent, Pablo Barquero, has confirmed his client wants Barcelona over Real Madrid.
“Out of respect for Madrid, as they have been class, Rodri informed them that his decision is to join Barça”, Barquero said, as per El Larguero.
Rodri has won four Premier League titles and the Champions League among his honours, since joining Manchester City from Atletico Madrid in 2019. This summer, he won the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball as Spain were crowned world champions.