Barcelona are preparing another bid to get closer to Manchester City’s £75million valuation of Spanish midfielder Rodri, GIVEMESPORT understands.

The Spanish giants had already bid £50million for Rodri, which was rejected by Manchester City, who will not stand in the player’s way should the two clubs reach a suitable fee in negotiations.

Barcelona are confident of agreeing a deal, as they have already agreed personal terms with Rodri, who wants to make the move, and he has declared Barcelona his favoured destination despite interest from Real Madrid.

Barcelona have already agreed terms with the Man City star

REUTERS/Daniel Becerril via Action Images

Despite their initial bid being knocked back, the Cataluyna side are optimistic in club-to-club negotiations, and they are prepared to bid higher than their opening offer to secure the Ballon d’Or winner’s signature and bring him to the Nou Camp.

Barcelona feel that the deal is progressing well, and with the side potentially having more money coming in, partly due to Ronald Araujo’s loan departure to Liverpool, a second offer to Manchester City could be the one that gets the deal done.

Barcelona to get closer to Man City valuation of Rodri

Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Speaking in his GMS newsletter, senior football correspondent Ben Jacobs said: “Manchester City would like about €75million for Rodri, but Barcelona are prepared to go higher than €50million and narrow that gulf in valuation, and they are looking to close this deal for Rodri in the coming days.

“From Barca’s perspective, they are really optimistic, not just on the player side, which is already done verbally, but club-to-club as well, so Rodri to Barcelona is progressing.”

Rodri has made 298 appearances for Manchester City since joining the side from Atlético Madrid in 2019. His time in Manchester has been a complete success, winning four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three Carabao Cups, as well as winning the Club World Cup and Champions League.

His time at the club also saw him win the Ballon d’Or in 2024 and become one of the greatest defensive midfielders of his generation. He most recently won the World Cup this summer with Spain, and he looks set to be on his way back to his home country; his time in Manchester is up, leaving at the same time as manager Pep Guardiola has, as Enzo Maresca has taken the reins at the Etihad Stadium.

Fabrizio Romano has issued an update on Real Madrid star Endrick’s situation amid reported interest from Aston Villa. Unai Emery is now said to be looking to address his attack amid a busy window so far that has seen three significant incomings and the departures of Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers.

Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes and Modou Keba Cissé have all been snapped up, and there is likely to be more as Villa look to maintain their momentum from last season, even in the absence of two of their most important players.

Real Madrid star Endrick is now being linked, with the striker potentially on the market following a busy summer at Bernabeu, and Villa have been credited with an interest.

Romano issues update on Villa’s interest in Endrick

Speaking on his YouTube show, transfer guru Romano addressed the Endrick situation. He said: “For Endrick, the next days are going to be important. On one side, Endrick wants to stay at Real Madrid. The player himself wants to stay at Real Madrid, wants to continue at Real Madrid, wants to try find a space and try be part of Jose Mourinho’s squad.

“On the other side, there are many players up front. They have Diomande now; Endrick can also play on the wing. They have Carlos Espi, new central striker like Endrick, Vinicius signed a new contract, so it’s full of players up front. And so what could happen around Endrick? My understanding is that the player will talk with his agents to understand what to do.

“He’s got a great eye for a goal, he’s incredibly fast and powerful.” – Carlo Ancelotti

“On one side, Endrick wants to stay. We have to see if they will decide, also Real Madrid, if they will decide to let Endrick go on loan. So, this will be the conversation. There are two clubs very interested in Endrick. One is Roma, the other one is Aston Villa.

“We cannot exclude more clubs to join the race if Endrick goes on loan, so we have to see what happens, but this has to start from Real Madrid and on player’s side, he wants to stay, but the conversations with his agents could be important.”

Real Madrid’s growing list of attackers

• Vinicius Jr
• Endrick
• Kyliam Mbappe
• Rodrygo
• Carlos Espí
• Brahim Diaz
• Yan Diomande

Endrick has been viewed as an exciting talent at Real Madrid, even if he has had to wait for his opportunities so far, leading to a loan spell with Lyon for the second half of last season.

“He’s a forward with attributes he’s shown off in this Copa run,” Carlo Ancelotti said back in 2025. “He’s got a great eye for a goal, he’s incredibly fast and powerful. He could use the ball better at times but he’s young and a fast learner. He could have got another goal and his shooting is quite spectacular. Endrick has shown his quality. He is a striker who, when he has opportunities in and around the box, shows the extraordinary technique that he has.”

The early stages of the 2026/27 Premier League season will be very interesting for Liverpool as the club embarks on a new era. Andoni Iraola has been appointed manager and he will look to quickly enforce his footballing philosophy at Anfield.

The Spaniard arrives from Bournemouth, taking over Arne Slot, who left after winning the league in his debut campaign, before following it up with a poor second season. The Reds finished 5th in 2025/26, managing 24 points fewer than they had when lifting the title 12 months prior.

After Slot’s exit, it looks as though Iraola has a big job on his hands. The 44-year-old has made no secret of that, and his recent comments on the matter have caused a bit of a stir.

Iraola Claims Liverpool Stars ‘Can Only Run for 30 Minutes’

Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley

Pre-season has shown some worrying signs in the past two games. Against both Leeds United and then Monaco, Liverpool threw away a two-goal lead and went on to lose the game. Speaking to the press after the game, Iraola made a rather alarming comment as he suggested his players ‘can only run for 30 minutes’, explaining:

Of course, pre-season is a time where most squads may look a little unfit, as players look to rebuild fitness after spending time away from football over the summer. Even so, with the Premier League season kicking off in less than two weeks, it’s not ideal to suggest that the Liverpool stars only have about 30 minutes in them.

Liverpool Fans Blame Arne Slot Over Fitness Concerns

After Iraola’s claims, some Liverpool fans have seen it as a damning comment on the training regime under former boss Slot. Under the Dutchman, some players seemed unhappy with the direction of things, with Mohamed Salah most notably speaking out against his former boss.

Calling back to the energy-filled days under Jurgen Klopp, Salah said: “I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies.” While it’s unclear if he was specifically unhappy with training methods, he certainly wasn’t happy with Slot’s overall coaching.

Now, after Iraola’s suggestions that the team isn’t fit, many Liverpool supporters have blamed the current issues as a lasting legacy of their former coach. One wrote:

“Slot’s training methods were a disgrace.” Another agreed, adding: “Slot really ruined the team’s fitness last season. More holidays than training.”

In response to the comments, someone else said: “We’ve known that since Slot lost the plot in his title-winning season.” While another wrote: “All thanks to Slot. He has destroyed the elite fitness these players had.”

A final fan summed up the sentiment, remarking: “Arne Slot’s Liverpool legacy right here.”