Barcelona Increases Offer for Rodri as City Eyes Enzo Fernández

Barcelona have cranked up the pressure on Manchester City with an improved offer of around €60m (£51m) for Rodri, as the saga around the Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder edges towards a decisive moment.

City knocked back an opening bid of €45m without hesitation, but Barça’s latest move lands far closer to the English champions’ valuation of the 30-year-old, who captained Spain to World Cup glory and has become the reference point in Europe for the holding midfield role.

Rodri has made clear he wants Barcelona. That stance hangs over every conversation. Inside City, the feeling is no longer whether he goes, but how and when — and what comes next.

City line up Enzo Fernández – at a price

Planning for life after Rodri, City have turned their attention to Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández, though prising him out of west London will be anything but straightforward.

Chelsea value their captain at around £120m. That figure is steep even for City, and any agreement is expected to be structured with significant add-ons rather than a straight cash deal. Enzo Maresca knows exactly what he would be getting: he worked with Fernández for a season and a half at Stamford Bridge before his own spell ended in January.

During that time, the 25-year-old became a central pillar of Maresca’s Chelsea side, helping them finish fourth in the Premier League, win the Europa Conference League in 2024-25 and lift the Fifa Club World Cup last summer. A World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, Fernández has built a reputation as a midfielder who can dictate play and still bite in the challenge.

If City manage to land him, there will likely be a knock-on effect in their own midfield. Tijjani Reijnders is viewed as a possible departure to balance both the books and the squad numbers.

For Maresca, Fernández would bring more than just technical quality. With Rodri pushing for Barcelona, City risk losing their on-pitch organiser and emotional anchor. Dropping Chelsea’s captain into that dressing room would restore a layer of leadership and edge in the centre of the pitch, keeping City’s identity sharp in the most demanding area of the field.

Busy summer at the Etihad

City’s rebuild is already well under way. They have paid £116m to sign Elliott Anderson from Nottingham Forest, a statement of both faith and financial muscle in a player expected to grow into a major role. They are also closing in on Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for around £85m, another sizeable investment in the next generation of their midfield.

The churn has not been limited to outfield players. On Wednesday, City confirmed the return of Argentina goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli on a two-year deal following James Trafford’s move to Leeds. Rulli previously spent the 2016-17 season on City’s books and now comes back as experienced cover.

“The 35-year-old said: “My job now is to train hard, get to know the players and staff and do everything I can.” A simple message, but it fits a summer in which City are quietly reshaping key areas while the Rodri storm gathers.

Chelsea brace for life after their captain

Chelsea, for their part, are not waiting around in case City meet their demands. The club are understood to have asked about Bournemouth’s Alex Scott as a potential replacement should Fernández leave.

Scott, one of the most highly regarded young midfielders in the league, would represent a different profile to Fernández but fits Chelsea’s recent strategy of targeting emerging talent with high upside.

So the picture is clear. Barcelona push for Rodri. City circle Fernández. Chelsea eye Scott. One decision at the top of that chain will jolt the rest into motion.

The question now is which club blinks first.