Barcelona, Real Madrid Fighting For Spain's Rodri, Man City Reject Bids From BOTH
News sports football Barcelona, Real Madrid Fighting For Spain's Rodri, Man City Reject Bids From BOTH Barcelona, Real Madrid Fighting For Spain's Rodri, Man City
News sports football Barcelona, Real Madrid Fighting For Spain's Rodri, Man City Reject Bids From BOTH Barcelona, Real Madrid Fighting For Spain's Rodri, Man City Reject Bids From BOTH Published By, Last Updated: August 07, 2026, 19:08 IST FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are vying to sign Spain captain Rodri from Manchester City. Rodri was the undisputed engine of the Spanish midfield, dictating the tempo across all eight matches to win the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. His masterful distribution and unshakeable control were the foundation of Spain's unbeaten run to their second World Cup crown.(Picture Credit: AFP) Spanish club football giants FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are in a sensational tug-of-war to sign Spain captain Rodri from Manchester City. According to reports in the English media, Barcelona on Friday (August 7) made an offer to City for around € 45 million (approx Rs.
496 crore) plus performance-related add-ons, which was immediately rejected. Despite Rodri being in the final year of his contract in Manchester, the club is asking € 80 million (approx Rs. 881 crore) for the midfielder, with both Barcelona and Real Madrid well aware of the demand. Madrid made the first move for Rodri in the last week of July and were in advanced negotiations with Manchester City, despite having a couple of unofficial bids rejected themselves. Several outlets reported that Rodri, 30, had decided against renewing his contract at City and given his priority to return to his home country with a blockbuster move to Madrid. However, talks stalled since the start of August as Madrid found it difficult to close the deal despite being in touching distance. On August 6, it was revealed that Barcelona were exploring a deal for the World Cup-winning captain, with the 30-year-old preferring a move to the Camp Nou over any other club.
It was said that Rodri was lured by the fit at Barca, where he would unite with several of his World Cup-winning teammates, who are said to have been on regular calls with him to convince him to join the Catalan club over its fierce rival in the capital. Barcelona always needed to add an extra midfielder in the summer, but the need became more pressing after Frenkie de Jong suffered a long-term injury. There aren’t many clubs in the world where Rodri won’t be an immediate starter. The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner is arguably the best deep-lying midfielder in the world, astute at winning the ball, keeping possession, and driving the tempo of each game through him. It can be argued that Madrid need him more for the base of their midfield and can’t be ruled out from making a late move if Barca’s deal falls through.
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