Man City Rejects Barcelona's £55m Bid for Rodri Amid Midfield Changes

Manchester City have rejected a fresh £55m offer from Barcelona for Rodri, underlining their determination to keep the Spain captain at the heart of their midfield.

Barca had an opening bid in the region of £40m knocked back last week. They returned with a significantly improved proposal, expected to land between £50m and £60m, but City again said no. The new figure still falls short of the valuation at the Etihad.

City want upwards of £60m for the 30-year-old, who has entered the final year of his contract. Talks between the clubs remain active, and Barcelona are weighing up their next move as they push to land one of Europe’s most influential midfielders.

Inside the club, the stance is clear: City do not want to sell Rodri. They would rather tie him down to a new deal and build around him again.

But there is one caveat. If Rodri formally asks to leave, City are not expected to block his exit, even to a direct Champions League rival.

For now, the stalemate holds. Barcelona keep knocking. City keep the door shut.

Reijnders talks with Al Qadsiah add to midfield uncertainty

While Rodri’s future dominates the headlines, another potential midfield departure is gathering pace.

City are in advanced and positive negotiations with Saudi Arabian side Al Qadsiah over the sale of Tijjani Reijnders, with a deal being discussed at around £51.3m (€60m). The Saudi club see Reijnders as a world-class, peak-age signing and a cornerstone for their first Asian Champions League campaign.

Al Qadsiah are also preparing to move into their new Aramco Stadium, and want a marquee midfield presence to match the ambition of their off-pitch project.

If both deals were to progress, City could lose two central midfielders in the same window. That prospect has already shaped their recruitment plans.

The Premier League champions are looking at bringing in up to two midfielders, with concrete interest in Enzo Fernandez and Ayyoub Bouaddi as they map out the next evolution of Pep Guardiola’s engine room.

Barcelona’s persistence, Saudi money on the table, and a squad in transition: City’s midfield, usually the calm centre of their dominance, suddenly sits at the heart of one of the summer’s most intriguing transfer battles.