Barcelona in contact with Manchester City as Rodri pursuit steps up | OneFootball

Barcelona are very much in the race to sign Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, and they are also ready to compete with Real Madrid for his signature. The Catalan club are in the market to replace Frenkie de Jong after he suffered a serious knee injury during the 2026 World Cup, and their leading target in the same competition’s Golden Ball winner.

In the last couple of weeks, Barcelona have started exploring a move for Rodri. The 30-year-old is expected to be available for a reduced price this summer due to his Man City contract having less than 12 months remaining, and understandably, this situation has appealed to those within Can Barca.

Sporting director Deco has been tasked with moving for Rodri when he sees fit, and the time has now come. As per The Athletic, talks have been initiated with the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner’s camp, and so far, these have gone well.

Rodri enticed by Barcelona interest

According to the report, Rodri has shown an openness to join Barcelona this summer, having been impressed by their project and the style of play that Hansi Flick has implemented since taking over two years ago. Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has also revealed that the Catalans have held talks with Manchester City, who have welcomed the new interest due to their ambitions to drive up the price of a possible deal, knowing that it is very unlikely for them to retain Rodri’s services beyond the end of the transfer window.

Signing Rodri from under Real Madrid’s noses would be a major statement of intent from Barcelona. Midfield is not an area that they had planned to address coming into the summer, but de Jong’s situation, coupled with the likely sale of Marc Casado, means that added quality would be very much appreciated by Flick.