Barcelona Tables €45M Rodri Bid as Manchester City Holds Out for €80M

Q: Could prioritizing a 30-year-old midfielder force Barcelona to completely abandon their desperate search for a world-class striker?

Yes — it could, though not automatically. Barcelona’s public line is that a move for Rodri would not change their pursuit of a striker, with Julián Álvarez still their preferred attacking target. But the practical reality is tighter. Rodri would likely cost around €80 million, arrive on top-level wages, and take up one of the club’s biggest remaining registration and salary slots, even if Barca believe they are back under La Liga’s 1:1 rule. That matters because the striker search is already fragile. Atlético Madrid have made it clear they do not want to sell Álvarez, and reports suggest Barcelona’s €100 million bid has gone nowhere. Even if the club has more financial freedom than in recent years, funding Rodri and a world-class No. 9 in the same window would still depend on significant exits and wage savings. There is also a sporting trade-off. Rodri addresses an urgent midfield need created by Frenkie de Jong’s injury and the reluctance to overload Marc Bernal after his own layoff. In that sense, Barcelona can justify prioritizing him as an immediate elite solution. A striker, while still a major objective after Robert Lewandowski’s departure, may be more vulnerable to delay if the ideal option is unavailable. So Rodri would not force Barcelona to formally abandon the striker search, but it could effectively do so by redirecting money, wages and urgency toward midfield — especially if Álvarez remains unattainable and sales such as Ferran Torres’ do not materialize quickly.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 7

Barcelona have offered about €45 million plus add-ons for Rodri, but Manchester City view that figure as far too low and say no meaningful club-to-club talks are underway.
City want around €80 million even to consider a sale, with Rodri entering the final year of his contract in 2027 and showing little appetite to extend.
Rodri, 30, prefers a move to Camp Nou over other options, with Barcelona’s style and a squad featuring eight of Spain’s 2026 World Cup winners adding to the appeal.
Barcelona’s push has intensified after Frenkie de Jong tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, while Rodri is expected back before the end of August after minor back surgery.
The standoff comes in a summer of change at City after Pep Guardiola’s exit, with the club already spending £116 million on midfielder Elliot Anderson.