Manchester City have rejected an opening offer of £38.5m from Barcelona for midfielder Rodri.

City are open to selling the Spaniard, but would demand more than £60m.

The 30-year-old enters the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium and is yet to sign a new deal, with speculation rife about his future this summer.

It looked like Real Madrid would be his next destination but La Liga rivals Barcelona are now leading the race after sources reveal that the club had the player’s approval to open negotiations with City. The offer was made on Friday.

According to a BBC report, Barca sources had initially said there were no guarantees any deal would be made but the situation now looks to be developing.

The club said on Friday they are in ongoing conversations with the player’s representatives and later made their opening offer.

The report quoted sources as saying talks with Real have now ended.

Rodri missed much of the 2024-25 campaign after sustaining a serious knee injury, and parts of last season were disrupted by a hamstring issue.

However, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was back to his best at the World Cup in the summer, leading Spain to their second title and being named player of the tournament.

He is currently out of action after undergoing back surgery last month and is scheduled to link back up with his City team-mates in Manchester early next week.

Approaching the second week of August in the transfer window, City will be aiming to resolve Rodri’s future swiftly in order to sign a replacement.

Talks are ongoing to sign 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, but the French club’s £86m asking price appears to be a sticking point.

What has Rodri’s agent said?
According to Spanish radio network Cadena Ser, who have spoken directly to Rodri’s agent Pablo Barquero, Real Madrid made Rodri an “irresistible” offer shortly after Spain’s World Cup triumph.

Talks began just days after the tournament, with Rodri’s camp praising the courtesy, class and respect shown by the club throughout the negotiations.

According to the report, everyone at Real Madrid, from president Florentino Perez to chief executive Jose Angel Sanchez, worked to make the deal happen and made it clear they were serious about signing the midfielder.

They had put everything on the table to get the deal over the line but despite positive discussions over the past two weeks, Rodri has made the personal decision to accept another offer, says the radio network.

Cadena Ser add that Real Madrid were informed of Rodri’s decision on Friday and chose to end the process in order to avoid prolonging uncertainty, while thanking the player for the respectful way the negotiations were conducted.

Tottenham Hotspur have firmly shut the door on any possibility of selling captain Cristian Romero to their North London rivals, Arsenal, this summer.

Arsenal’s interest in Romero stemmed from a significant injury blow to their key defender, William Saliba.

The French international is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a serious back problem sustained during the World Cup, prompting the Gunners to seek high-calibre defensive reinforcements.

The Gunners have been in the market for a defender, with Ezri Konsa also considered a target this summer.

Arsenal have made a surprise inquiry for the Argentine defender but were met with a swift and decisive rejection.

However, sources confirm that Tottenham are completely unwilling to entertain any offers from Arsenal.

The club has made it clear that they will not conduct business with their fiercest rivals under any circumstances, effectively ending any chance of a cross-London switch for the 28-year-old.

Before their approach for Romero, they reportedly had a bid rejected for Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, with Villa demanding a fee in the region of £60 million for the England international.

Real Madrid has increased their contract extension offer, but it still falls short of Vinicius’s initial demands, and they are urging him to respond as soon as possible.

According to AS, Real Madrid has raised its initial offer for Vinicius’s contract extension, but it remains far from meeting his demands. The ball is now in the Brazilian winger’s court. The two parties held talks on Wednesday, attended by Vinicius’s agent Frederico Pena and by José Ángel Sánchez and Juni Calafat from Real Madrid.

Neither side completely dominated the negotiations, but a compromise has emerged that could lead to an agreement if the player accepts. Sources say Real Madrid’s offer will not remain valid indefinitely, and the club wants a response as soon as possible. Vinicius’s contract expires on June 30, 2027, and the countdown to renewal has begun.

Arsenal is also monitoring this protracted renewal saga, with Arteta hoping to seize the opportunity to advance contact and even convince Vinicius that they could be teammates next season. However, to reach that point, the current deadlock between Vinicius and Real Madrid must first be resolved. Real Madrid originally had no intention of increasing the offer further, but still showed willingness to reach an agreement, hence the raise. The decision now rests with the winger.

AS previously reported that Vinicius had lowered his initial demand of close to €30 million per year to nearly €20 million net per season, plus performance bonuses. The contract details also include a significant element: a renewal bonus, similar to the signing bonus Mbappé received upon joining. Additionally, Vinicius wants to increase his share of image rights revenue, which is currently slightly over 50%, and hopes to continue raising it. SER radio reported that Real Madrid’s bottom line is €24 million net annually.

This figure is higher than the €20 million they were initially willing to offer, but still lower than the €30 million that appeared at the beginning of negotiations. The Brazilian player’s team stated that both parties also included multiple performance bonuses, which makes the player believe that the club and he are now aligned. Both sides are optimistic about this new contract, which would run until 2031. However, after demonstrating sincerity, Real Madrid also hopes to receive a reply soon.

While the future remains uncertain, Vinicius was accompanied by his most trusted advisor, Tata Soares, during training with the team at Valdebebas yesterday. Soares also attended the meeting. Meanwhile, Vinicius sent an intriguing signal on social media. The Brazilian star suddenly cleared his social media account, leaving his 639,000 followers and the entire football world momentarily puzzled. His profile picture, posts, and pinned content all disappeared. Coincidentally, this action occurred on the same day the situation shifted.