Barcelona have tabled an improved offer to City of around €64m for Rodri, according to Ben Jacobs, with talks now described as “progressing positively” between the two clubs.
It’s a step on from where things stood earlier today, when Fabrizio Romano reported a €60m verbal proposal against City’s €80m valuation, with add-ons floated as the likely mechanism to bridge the gap.
Barcelona’s new number narrows that gap further, and the shift in tone — from a proposal being weighed up to negotiations actively progressing — suggests the two sides are converging rather than stuck.
City haven’t moved off their asking price publicly, and the gap between €64m and €80m is still significant.
But the direction of travel this week has been consistent: an opening €45m bid was rejected outright, City made clear they wanted north of €70m, and each subsequent offer has crept closer to a number both clubs can live with.
It’s one of those where the poker-playing will usually conclude with the two sides agreeing a fee somewhere in the middle.
Rodri is understood to have already agreed personal terms in Spain, so the transfer fee remains the last real obstacle standing in the way.
Expect further movement before the picture becomes any clearer.
