Barcelona are preparing what they believe could be their decisive bid for Manchester City midfielder Rodri, according to a report highlighted by Yahoo Sports. The Catalan club is working on a final package that could rise to €65 million in fixed fees plus €10 million in add-ons, a structure designed to bridge the gap after City rebuffed an earlier attempt to strike a deal.
While Barcelona’s pursuit is already well advanced, the negotiations have become increasingly about fine margins—both on the valuation and on the conditions that determine whether performance-related bonuses are triggered. The report says the final offer would be presented as Barcelona’s most definitive proposal, with an emphasis on making enough of the variables attainable to improve the overall attractiveness for Manchester City.
As described in the coverage, around €5 million of the variable portion would be relatively achievable, whereas the remaining €5 million would be considerably harder to trigger. That distinction matters: for Barcelona, it allows them to keep the headline cost within their financial boundaries, while for City it provides a pathway to receive additional compensation without giving away value in every scenario.
Barcelona are pushing for speed, with the expectation that they could table the offer within hours. The club’s aim is not only to secure City’s acceptance, but also to conclude the arrangement in a way that removes friction from Rodri’s next steps. A key element of the Barcelona plan is to reach an agreement that would allow Rodri to avoid returning to Manchester during what is expected to be a crucial window in the transfer process.
The question of timing has gained urgency because, even if City’s public position appears to be that Rodri could remain for the final year of his contract, their broader transfer activity suggests they are planning for his departure. Barca Universal’s reporting frames Manchester City as “preparing for life without him,” noting that the club’s recruitment discussions include midfield reinforcements intended to compensate for the loss of the Spanish international. It points to negotiations for players such as Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez, moves that could help City manage squad continuity if Rodri exits.
Rodri’s involvement is also presented as a potential accelerant. The Yahoo Sports report states that Barcelona have the backing of Rodri, who has asked Manchester City to facilitate his departure because he wants to leave the Premier League. That request adds leverage to the sporting and personal motivation behind the transfer narrative, shifting the talks from a purely financial bargaining process to one influenced by the player’s stated desire for a move.
Beyond the desire to depart, Barcelona’s strategy appears to account for the fact that Rodri is not arriving on empty terms. Barca Universal adds that the midfielder has responded to Barcelona’s major financial effort by making concessions in his own contract, including relinquishing certain amounts that Real Madrid had been prepared to pay. While Barcelona’s pursuit is being reported through the lens of club-to-club negotiation, the mention of Rodri’s contractual concessions reinforces that personal terms and sporting reasoning have played a significant role in his decision.
The previous round of Barcelona offers highlights why the current proposal could be pivotal. As already reported, Manchester City rejected Barcelona’s second bid of €60 million plus variables that could take the deal to €70 million. In other words, City did not see that configuration—either the level of fixed compensation, the way the add-ons were structured, or both—as sufficient. The new message from Barcelona is that they are refining the package so it is more likely to meet City’s internal valuation and conditions.
From Barcelona’s standpoint, the structure of €65 million fixed plus €10 million variable may offer a more credible middle ground than the earlier attempt. By setting half of the add-ons at a level described as more achievable, Barcelona are likely aiming to reduce the probability that City views the bonus targets as too dependent on circumstances that may not occur. The remaining harder-to-trigger €5 million retains the chance of higher upside for City, but without forcing Barcelona into a fully guaranteed headline figure that could exceed what they are prepared to pay.
Manchester City’s expected response will be influenced not only by the total potential value, but by the certainty of receipt. Add-ons that City sees as realistically attainable carry greater weight in negotiations than theoretically reachable bonuses. That is why Barcelona’s emphasis on which portions of the variables are easier to trigger stands out as a deliberate adjustment following the rejection of the €60 million+variables proposal.
At the center of the talks remains the prospect of Rodri joining Barcelona and the broader restructuring it would represent for City’s midfield plans. Barcelona are seeking a midfield mainstay who—if the deal proceeds—would reshape their sporting profile and integrate a player with experience at the very top of English football. For City, the negotiation is equally consequential: the decision to entertain a departure implies a need to replace leadership and production in the middle of the pitch, hence the reported scouting and recruitment activity.
With Barcelona hoping to place the offer on the table within hours, the next stages of the saga will likely turn on whether City regards the package as a final settlement rather than another starting point. If the bid is accepted, Rodri could avoid the disruption of having to return to Manchester, aligning the outcome with the player’s stated wishes. The coming decisions will determine whether Barcelona can convert Rodri’s backing and contract concessions into a completed transfer, or whether City will insist on further refinement of valuation or conditions before agreeing to the move.
For now, the narrative remains “on track, but far from done,” with Barcelona signaling that their forthcoming proposal is the last major financial push they are willing to make. The reported attempt to settle the issue quickly suggests the club believes the gap is bridgeable—if not through the exact numbers, then through the renewed balance between guaranteed value and performance-related add-ons described in the latest reporting from Yahoo Sports and echoed in Barca Universal.
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