Barcelona's Third Bid for Rodri Hits 70 Million Euros

Barcelona have gone all in. Their third bid for Rodri is on the table, and this time the offer bites: a fixed 70 million euros to tempt Manchester City into parting with the Spain international.

The Catalan club started this chase far lower, opening talks at around 45 million euros. That was never going to move City. A second proposal pushed the figure close to 65 million. Still not enough. Now Barça have climbed again, and inside the Camp Nou there is a growing feeling that this one is heading their way, with hopes the deal can be closed by the end of the weekend.

The mood in Manchester is similar. City also expect the saga to end in agreement, and not just for sporting reasons. Selling Rodri would hand the Premier League champions valuable room under Financial Fair Play, clearing space on the wage bill and in the accounts to accelerate their own rebuild.

At the heart of that plan sits Enzo.

The Argentine midfielder is the chosen one to step into the gap at the Etihad if Rodri leaves. Chelsea had set a deadline for suitors to meet their conditions, but the clock striking zero has not killed this story. It has only changed the rules.

New City manager Enzo Maresca, who knows Enzo well from their time together at Chelsea, drew a firm line on Friday. He made it plain that City will not be dragged into a race against Chelsea’s stopwatch or bullied by an artificial cut-off point.

Chelsea, for their part, have been just as blunt. They want the market to understand that they control this situation. Enzo is tied to Stamford Bridge until 2032, and that contract gives them the leverage. They will decide if and when he leaves, and at what price.

So City wait. Everything hinges on Rodri.

Only once the Rodri deal reaches a definitive outcome will City return in force for Enzo. Behind the scenes, the work has never really stopped. As Fabrizio Romano has reported, City’s hierarchy have maintained constant contact with the player’s agents in recent days, keeping the relationship warm and the lines of communication open.

The landscape is the same, yet not the same. City still want Enzo. That has never wavered. But they are no longer negotiating with the Chelsea of yesterday, the Chelsea who briefly cracked the door open and laid out clear terms that looked almost like a de facto release clause.

That door has swung back towards its frame. It is not locked, but it will take serious money to push it wide again.

Now the question for City is simple and brutal: how far are they prepared to go? How much are they willing to pay to force open Stamford Bridge and install Enzo as the new heartbeat of their midfield once Rodri walks out the door?