Manchester City have knocked back Barcelona's opening £38.5m offer for Rodri, but the Spanish champions are not walking away — they are still at the table, trying to find a number both sides can live with The Guardian.

City want at least £60m for a player who, only weeks ago, was named the best player at the World Cup. That is the Golden Ball — the award handed to the tournament's standout performer — and it went to Rodri in July 2026. It underlines why Barcelona see him as worth the chase, and why City are not rushing to let him go cheap.

The backdrop is a complicated one. Rodri is 30 and in the final year of his City contract. He turned down a lucrative extension and has told the club he wants to return to Spain, a desire that sharpened after Pep Guardiola's departure. Barcelona became his preferred destination once talks with Real Madrid broke down, and he has already agreed personal terms with the Catalan club. He has spoken directly to Barcelona's manager Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco about the move.

Barcelona's need is urgent. Frenkie de Jong, their Dutch midfield anchor, is out for months with a medial collateral ligament injury — the MCL, the band of tissue on the inside of the knee — and Rodri has been identified as the man to fill the gap.

There is a wrinkle, though. Rodri has had minor back surgery and will miss most of City's pre-season programme. Any club signing him is buying a player who will need time to get fit.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, are bruised. Their manager José Mourinho was reported to be unhappy at losing out to their fiercest rivals for Rodri's signature, having had an offer of their own earlier in the window. A presidential candidate at Real Madrid had even promised supporters that Rodri would arrive — a pledge that now looks empty.

City are not sitting idle. They have already signed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m and are in talks with Lille over Ayyoub Bouaddi, a deal that could reach £80m. Chelsea's Enzo Fernández is another name on their list as a more experienced replacement, though Real Madrid are also circling the Argentine.

For all the movement, City's position has hardened over the summer. In late July, the club still hoped Rodri might sign a new deal despite Real Madrid's interest. Now, with Barcelona at the door and the player set on leaving, the question is no longer whether City will sell — it is whether Barcelona can find the money to meet their price before the window closes.

Rodri arrived at City from Atlético Madrid in 2019, a 23-year-old signed on a five-year deal. Seven years on, the next chapter looks likely to be written back in Spain.