Barcelona are poised to make an approach to Manchester City for the signing of midfielder Rodri, with the club hopeful of outbidding their Spanish rivals to secure the services of the Spanish national team captain, according to Sky Sports News. Rodri, a World Cup winner with Spain, has entered the final year of his contract at Manchester City and is being pursued by both Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Real Madrid have been in negotiations with Manchester City since last week and are reportedly willing to pay £50m for the player. However, Manchester City are reluctant to sell one of their key players and are instead hoping Rodri will agree to a new long-term contract at the Etihad Stadium. Rodri is currently recovering from successful back surgery and is expected to miss the start of the new season.
Following his re-election as Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez faced criticism for the club's lack of Spanish players in the World Cup squad. The club has since signed Marc Cucurella from Chelsea and is considering its next move in the pursuit of Rodri. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher believes Manchester City should not sell Rodri, even for a fee of £40-50m, as he is one of the best midfielders in the world.
Carragher thinks Rodri is irreplaceable and that his departure would be a significant blow to Manchester City's chances of winning the Premier League. Meanwhile, Sky Sports' Laura Hunter describes Rodri as the most complete central midfielder in the Premier League over the past five years, and believes he is the best midfielder in the world. Hunter notes that Rodri's ability to control games and set the tempo for his team is unmatched, and that his injury record has coincided with Manchester City's failure to retain the Premier League title. While Manchester City have signed Elliot Anderson, who could potentially fill the void left by Rodri, Hunter believes that Anderson is not yet at the same level as the Spanish midfielder.