Barcelona Targets Rodri as Manchester City Eyes Enzo Fernández

Barcelona have returned to Manchester City with an improved offer of around €60m (£51m) for Rodri, cranking up the pressure over the future of one of Pep Guardiola’s most influential players.

City dismissed Barça’s opening bid of €45m without hesitation. This time, the numbers are much closer to the English champions’ valuation of the 30-year-old, who captained Spain to World Cup glory and lifted the Ballon d’Or in 2024. Barcelona sense an opening. So do City.

Rodri has made clear he wants the move to Camp Nou. With the midfielder pushing for the switch, the sense inside the market is that his departure now feels a matter of timing and detail rather than principle.

City, already planning for life without their midfield fulcrum, have turned their attention to Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández. The London club value their captain at around £120m, a figure that would make him one of the most expensive midfielders in history and poses a serious test of City’s resolve.

Chelsea are standing firm on that price. Any breakthrough is likely to hinge on a structure heavy with add-ons and performance-related clauses rather than a straight cash deal. Enzo Maresca is a strong advocate of the move, having worked closely with Fernández for a season and a half at Stamford Bridge before his own spell ended in January.

Under Maresca, Fernández became a central pillar of a Chelsea side that finished fourth in the Premier League, won the Europa Conference League in 2024-25 and lifted the Fifa Club World Cup last summer. Those performances, on top of his 2022 World Cup triumph with Argentina, have pushed his value into the top bracket.

If City manage to land Fernández, the knock-on effect inside their squad could be immediate. Another midfielder is expected to make way, with Tijjani Reijnders viewed as a potential candidate to leave should the deal go through.

Rodri’s determination to join Barcelona leaves City facing a major rebuild at the heart of their team. Fernández, now Chelsea’s captain, would arrive not just as a technical replacement but as a dressing-room voice, bringing aggression, bite and leadership to Maresca’s new-look side.

City have already been aggressive in this window. Elliott Anderson has arrived from Nottingham Forest for £116m, while a deal worth around £85m for Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi is close to completion. The midfield, once defined by Rodri’s calm authority, could soon look very different.

Chelsea, for their part, have started to map out life after Fernández. They are understood to have enquired about Bournemouth’s Alex Scott as a possible replacement, moving early in case City finally meet their demands.

There has been movement in goal at the Etihad as well. On Wednesday, City confirmed the signing of Argentina goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli on a two-year contract, following James Trafford’s move to Leeds. Rulli previously spent the 2016-17 season on City’s books and now returns as experienced cover.

“The 35-year-old said: “My job now is to train hard, get to know the players and staff and do everything I can.”

With Rodri pushing for Barcelona, Fernández high on City’s list and Chelsea already scouting successors, the next move in this midfield chain could reshape three major clubs in one sweep.