Barca on the verge of signing Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder Rodri for a huge fee

Barcelona's efforts to sign Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Rodri have now reached their final stage. After several rounds of talks between the two clubs, the chances of an agreement are higher than ever.

Spanish media outlet Marca reported that talks began last week after Rodri himself chose Barcelona as a possible destination, ignoring Real Madrid's interest. Manchester City are ready to respect the player's personal decision even if they want to sign a new contract with him. However, the English club has made it clear from the beginning that they have no intention of letting the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner leave for less. City claim that they will have to spend at least 80 million euros to take Rodri.

Barcelona's first offer was around 50 million euros, which City quickly rejected. The Catalan club then increased the offer by almost 10 million euros in the second round, but the Premier League team was not satisfied with that either.

However, the gap between the two sides' positions has narrowed considerably in the latest offer. According to Marca, Barcelona's third offer, including bonuses, is worth about 70 million euros. Since this figure is close to City's demands, the possibility of a deal being completed is now quite strong. Sources involved in the negotiations believe that even if an official announcement is not made, an agreement is only a matter of time.

Meanwhile, Rodri has already returned to Manchester and participated in the team's training program. Although he did not train fully with the main squad, he completed a recovery session as part of the rehabilitation process.

The midfielder has also met with Manchester City's new coach Enzo Maresca. When asked about Rodri's future, Maresca said in a brief comment, "Anything can happen."

On the other hand, with only two weeks left until the transfer market closes, pressure is also increasing on Barcelona. The club's sporting director Deco still has a number of important tasks ahead of him. The biggest of these is securing the signature of Rodri. The Catalan giants are also seriously considering trying to bring Atletico Madrid star Julián Álvarez to the team, completing a permanent deal for Joao Cancelo and the possible sale of Marc Casado.