Manchester City have rejected Barcelona’s second bid of around €60m (£51m) for Rodri, while Chelsea have set a 5pm (BST) Friday deadline for the club to bid £120m for the midfielder’s potential replacement, Enzo Fernández.
On Tuesday Barça improved on their initial offer of €45m but this has been turned down. City, it is thought, want between £60m and £65m for Rodri, who captained Spain to victory at the World Cup and is a former Ballon d’Or winner.
As the 30-year has expressed a preference for Barça, City accept it is all but inevitable he will head to the Camp Nou so Fernández has been identified to take his place in Enzo Maresca’s squad.
As Chelsea’s captain and a World Cup winner at Qatar 2022, Fernández would add seniority and leadership. However Chelsea’s stance is that as City and other suitors have already had two months of the transfer window to firm up interest in Fernández, if the £120m valuation is not met by an official bid for this sum by 5pm on Friday, the 25-year-old will remain their player.
To generate some of the finance required Tijjani Reijnders may be sold to Al-Qadsiah. Discussions are advanced between City and the Saudi Arabian club for a package worth around €60m for the 28-year-old Dutchman who joined last summer.
Jérémy Doku has signed a contract extension that will keep him at City until 2031. The 24-year-old winger said: “With Enzo [Maresca] here now I am really excited about the new season. His style of football is the kind we love, so that’s exciting for the players.
“The City fans are also a huge reason I have signed this new contract. I feel their love and support, and it means the world to me. I want to focus of bringing them the success they deserve.”